GAO Congressional Report Clears ACORN of Wrongdoing

[Hissyspit]

Source: Raw Story / GAO Press Release

Congressional report clears ACORN of wrongdoing — after group forced to disband

By Stephen Janis
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 -- 10:24 am

When a duo of right-wing provocateurs posing as a pimp and prostitute released selectively-edited videos trying to impugn the community activist group ACORN, both Democrats and Republicans condemned the organization. Congress then voted to cut off federal funding for the group (a decision that was later ruled unconstitutional). Following negative press and Congress' vote, ACORN effectively disbanded Apr. 1 and reorganized under new names.

But a just-issued report by the Government Accountability Office that reviewed ACORN's federal funding at the behest of Congress  found little grist for the mill for politicians or right-wing bloggers looking to bash the now-defunct advocacy group for the poor.

The 38-page report surveyed over 31 federal agencies, probing how ACORN used federal funds and whether adequate controls on spending existed.

The report found no evidence of fraud, lax oversight or misuse of federal funds.

Read more: http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0615/preliminary-report-clears-acorn/

---

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10633r.pdf

[Oceansaway]

1. K&R...n/t

[izquierdista]

2. As Mark Twain was to have said,

"A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."

[clarence swinney]

3. will they get government subsidy again?

I hope so.

[John Q. Citizen]

4. It was a fake story, fake outrage, fake enemy to hate on...

[defendandprotect]

5. Now restore their reputation . . . !!

[Mr. Sparkle]

6. I wonder can acorn sue to get millions in funding back.

it would be nice for holder to play dead and roll over, and to admit the government was wrong.

[denverbill]

7. Can ACORN sue FOX for defamation? n/t

[24601]

24. You can always sue - winning is another matter. n/t

[burnsei sensei]

8. I downloaded the report

from your link.
ACORN is not the subject of the document.
It is about the Foreclosure crisis.
Nowhere does it discuss ACORN and the frame-up last year.

[Zenlitened]

11. Here is the correct link to the GAO report:

Summary web page:
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-648R

Full report in PDF format:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10648r.pdf

[av8rdave]

12. I think this is the correct link here:

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10648r.pdf

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Here is the correct link to the report

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10648r.pdf

[Soylent Brice]

9. K&R

[burnsei sensei]

10. Here is the actual report from the GAO

issued yesterday that clears ACORN.

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-648R?source=twitter

Summary: ...
We have combined our work for the mandate and requests to report on the following objectives for fiscal years 2005 through 2009: (1) How much funding did federal agencies award to ACORN or potentially related organizations, and what was the source and purpose of the funding? (2) To what extent did federal agencies apply oversight mechanisms when monitoring awards to ACORN or potentially related organizations to ensure funding was spent appropriately, and how were problems, if any, addressed? (3) To what extent were federal investigations or prosecutions conducted of ACORN or potentially related organizations, and what were the nature and results of these investigations and prosecutions?
end quote.

click on "Full Report" for download.

[damntexdem]

13. The operation is now a success, but the patient died last year.

The RW got what it wanted.

Now ACORN needs to be reinvented.

[Ed Barrow]

15. ACORN did nothing wrong. So says the Congressional Watchdog Office (GAO)

Source: New Jersey Star-Ledger

On Monday, June 14, a preliminary probe by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) of ACORN has found no evidence the association or related organizations mishandled the $40 million in federal money they received in recent years.

...

The GAO interviewed and obtained documentation from grant program managers and staff from nine agencies; NeighborWorks, the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of the Treasury (Treasury), and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Department of Homeland Security and (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Most of the grants were for housing-related purposes during fiscal years 2005 through 2009.

The GAO, an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress, is often called the "congressional watchdog." It investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars.

Nearly two dozen members of Congress requested an investigation after a series of complaints against ACORN and its affiliates. The complaints included an embezzlement matter, several cases of voter registration fraud, and the release of edited and misleading videotapes, secretly made by conservative activists that appeared to implicate ACORN workers in several offices facilitating prostitution. In fact the staff in most of ACORN's offices turned the pair away, reported the couple to the police, refused to provide them any aid, and in one case tried to convince the phony prostitute to get counseling. In no ACORN office did employees file any paperwork or do anything illegal on the duo's behalf.



Read more: http://blog.nj.com/njv_john_atlas/2010/06/acorn_did_nothing_wrong_so_say.html

[mfcorey1]

16. It is too little too late. Those on the right have already succeeded in destroying the

organization. They provided a lot of assistance for many people.

[fascisthunter]

17. dems had a lot to do with it too

they jumped on the opportunity before any investigation.

[Bozita]

21. The bipartisan 21st Century equivalent of "frontier justice"

[mdmc]

18. The Dems sure did fuck the poor good on this one

The GOP too, but that is their claim to fame..

[DesertDiamond]

19. Meanwhile, Congress cut them off LONG before the GAO's findings came out.

I am just flabbergasted.

[annabanana]

20. Cold comfort for those who used to rely on their services.. . .n/t

[SILVER__FOX52]

22. That this witch hunt was successful......

shows the dementia our democracy has. Our governments ( FED, STATE, LOCAL ) are corrupt entities and an embarrassment to all real Americans. Our representatives had nothing better to do during this period, which included the banking crises, then, to unconstitutionally, destroy and de-fund a small and helpful agency that assisted poor people. One of ACORN's primary objectives was to register voters. Is our Congress not mental? Why isn't the President or the media concerned about this legislative over reach? Well don't we all know why. These congress critters, simply have no shame.

[havocmom]

23. well stated

:thumbsup:

[goclark]

25. K

Has the MSlimeM gotten the word out yet?

Let me guess.

[booley]

26. And how many cons will read this?

None.

They will continue to believe the lie and never figure out they were had.

Or worse, realize they were lied to but chalk it up as for the greater good. After all, it helped bring down an evil liberal organization.

(of course the proof that ACORN was evil was based on a lie and what else have con pundits lied about? But that's not important)