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<span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">ACORN filed for&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapter_7,Title_11,United_States_Code" title="Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code" style="text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-image="background-image" none="none" background-position="background-position" initial="initial" background-size="background-size" background-repeat="background-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip">Chapter 7</a><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">&nbsp;liquidation on November 2, 2010</span>
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</div><div>REPORT: ACORN OBSESSION: Beck, Hannity obsess over ACORN while virtually ignoring major corruption scandals</div><div>WRITTEN BY MEDIA MATTERS STAFF</div><div>
</div><div>PUBLISHED 09/23/09 4:33 PM EDT</div><div>
</div><div>In light of the recent attention Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity have devoted to a supposed corruption scandal involving ACORN, Media Matters for America reviewed the coverage each host has provided on his respective television programs to a selection of well-documented political scandals and instances of corruption by companies that have received thousands of times more money from the government than ACORN has in the past 15 years. Our findings show that both hosts have been obsessed with ACORN, devoting a massively disproportionate amount of attention to the story in comparison to their coverage of controversies involving military contractors that have received billions of dollars in federal contracts and instances of Republican corruption at the highest levels of the U.S. government. Furthermore, since Beck joined Fox News, the amount of attention he has devoted to ACORN has skyrocketed, while his interest in other corruption scandals has remained limited.</div><div>
</div><div>Key findings</div><div>Number of times Beck's and Hannity's programs, combined, referenced ACORN, Abramoff, Blackwater, and Halliburton/KBR from May 8, 2006, to September 18, 2009 (NOTE: For the purposes of this study, a “reference” is defined as the specified topic having been mentioned by either a host or a guest on the program being studied.):</div><div>
</div><div>ACORN: 1,502</div><div>Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH): 62</div><div>Blackwater/Xe: 4</div><div>Halliburton/KBR: 43</div><div>Conclusions:</div><div>
</div><div>Beck's and Hannity's programs were approximately 35 times more likely to reference ACORN than any of the military contractors.</div><div>Beck's and Hannity's programs were approximately 24 times more likely to reference ACORN than either Abramoff or Ney.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>The numbers are equally shocking for each show individually:</div><div>
</div><div>Beck's programs were approximately 50 times more likely to reference ACORN than any of the military contractors and approximately 149 times more likely to discuss ACORN than either Abramoff or Ney.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Hannity's programs were approximately 18 times more likely to reference ACORN than any of the military contractors and approximately eight times more likely to discuss ACORN than either Abramoff or Ney.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>What a difference Fox News makes -- after leaving CNN's Headline News and joining Fox in January, Beck's focus on ACORN skyrocketed, while his disinterest in major corruption scandals continued:</div><div>
</div><div>References to ACORN on Beck's Headline News program:</div><div>
</div><div>ACORN</div><div>
</div><div>Abramoff/Ney</div><div>
</div><div>Blackwater/Xe</div><div>
</div><div>Halliburton/KBR</div><div>
</div><div>43</div><div>
</div><div>7</div><div>
</div><div>2</div><div>
</div><div>11</div><div>
</div><div>References to ACORN on Beck's Fox News program:</div><div>
</div><div>ACORN</div><div>
</div><div>Abramoff/Ney</div><div>
</div><div>Blackwater/Xe</div><div>
</div><div>Halliburton/KBR</div><div>
</div><div>1,002</div><div>
</div><div>0</div><div>
</div><div>0</div><div>
</div><div>8</div><div>
</div><div>Reporting on ACORN, Beck and Hannity claim to be concerned with government waste and corruption</div><div>Beck implores viewers to “take a stand” because "[t]his is clear-cut, unadulterated, taxpayer-funded corruption" at ACORN due to its receipt of government funding. On the September 15 edition of his Fox News program, Beck aired portions of an undercover video at a California ACORN office and stated (from the Nexis database):</div><div>
</div><div>BECK: I am just asking you this -- please, take a stand. Take a stand. This is clear-cut, unadulterated, taxpayer-funded corruption. You love your children. You love your country just like I do. You must understand that what you've been seeing from ACORN on these tapes this past week isn't compassion, it's corruption!</div><div>
</div><div>I'm asking you -- demand a full investigation from your representatives of everybody -- ACORN, all the way to the top, everybody in government, all the way to the top, in your cities, and in our nation. And until that corruption is brought under control, we must quarantine Washington, D.C. -- no legislation must come out of it.</div><div>
</div><div>Hannity: “The only question that remains is, will this keep ACORN from receiving our tax dollars?” From the September 16 edition of Hannity (from Nexis):</div><div>
</div><div>HANNITY: Now the employees in five separate ACORN offices have now showed themselves willing to aid and in some cases participate in child prostitution. Now predictably, ACORN is retaliating by attacking the individuals who exposed them and threatening them with lawsuits.</div><div>
</div><div>But the videos, they speak for themselves. The only question that remains is, will this keep ACORN from receiving our tax dollars?</div><div>
</div><div>And here with reaction is the author of the best-selling book, “Culture of Corruption,” Michelle Malkin is back with us.</div><div>
</div><div>You know, if you look at the money and follow the money, tens and tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to date, Michelle. And if you add the stimulus, you're looking, you know, at potentially $8.5 billion more. So there are -- there is an effort in Congress to stop it. Will it be successful?</div><div>
</div><div>MICHELLE MALKIN, “THE CULTURE OF CORRUPTION” AUTHOR: Well, it already has, in some measure. And I think that cutting off ACORN from the Census Bureau partnerships was a big first step, and then of course in the Senate cutting off transportation and HUD appropriations money from ACORN and all of its affiliates.</div><div>
</div><div>I think that's very important. I called up Senator Mike Johan's office the other day just to clarify and make sure that it's not just ACORN, the national umbrella group, but all of the web of its affiliates and entities under it that are nonprofit, tax exempt and supposedly nonpartisan.</div><div>
</div><div>So all these are a good first step. But I think that the next step, Sean, obviously, is to crack open the books and take a look at how the money they currently have been allocated and allocated in the past is being spent. And that's going to be an incredible forensic undertaking. And hopefully it will be bipartisan.</div><div>
</div><div>HANNITY: You talk about these umbrella groups. There's all these groups that would then, you know, sort of subcontract out to ACORN. So it's almost difficult to do the accounting. But the reality is, and I know Governor Tim Pawlenty and I know some others, Richard Shelby was on this morning, and he is working in Washington.</div><div>
</div><div>They're saying they want to find a way to get to the real bottom line dollar figure of how much they are getting and cut off all funds because this is only part of the corruption. I mean it's bad enough every office they went to showed a connection, you know, to some of these scandals. But it goes a lot deeper, doesn't it?</div><div>
</div><div>MALKIN: It's systemic. And I'll tell you, ACORN plays a game of throwing its rank and file operatives under the bus and then claiming that these were just the indefensible actions of a few, a handful. That's the phrase that Bertha Lewis and the ACORN brass are using.</div><div>
</div><div>Both hosts have largely ignored major scandals involving military contractors that have huge government contracts</div><div>Halliburton, KBR, and Blackwater have received tens of billions of dollars in military contracts and have been connected to major scandals, some even resulting in death. Major controversies concerning work performed by Halliburton, Kellogg, Brown and Root (a Halliburton subsidiary), and Blackwater (now named Xe) broke between 2006 and 2009. According to news reports, Blackwater, Halliburton, and KBR have received a combined total of at least $25 billion dollars in federal contracts since 2001. By comparison, ACORN has received an estimated $53 million in federal funding over the past 15 years, which is an average of $3.5 million per year.</div><div>
</div><div>KBR's faulty work in Iraq allegedly killed U.S. soldiers and civilian contractors. For example, KBR, which received more than $24 billion in military contracts in exchange for performing a wide array of services related to the Iraq war, was allegedly responsible for the fatal electrocutions of 13 U.S. service members between the start of the war and July 2008 due to faulty electrical work. In July 2008, The New York Times reported that the Department of Defense ordered electrical inspections of all buildings in Iraq because of the deaths. In September 2006, a group of truckers who had worked for KBR provided congressional testimony against the company, claiming that its practices had unduly endangered them and contributed to the deaths of seven workers in an ambush.</div><div>
</div><div>KBR and Halliburton allegedly took foreign bribes. In 2009, Halliburton and KBR agreed to pay a $579 million settlement to the federal government over charges that they took foreign bribes, reportedly the largest fine ever paid by a U.S. company in a foreign corruption case.</div><div>
</div><div>Blackwater contractors were connected to the shooting death of 17 Iraqi civilians, and its founder has been named in a murder investigation. Blackwater, whose leadership had well-established ties to the Bush administration and the conservative movement, has received more than $1 billion in federal contracts since 2001. The company has faced mounting criticism following the shooting death of 17 Iraqi civilians in September 2007. At the time, Iraqi officials accused Blackwater of murder. More recently, there have been accusations of a murder plot directly involving Blackwater founder Erik Prince.</div><div>
</div><div>Despite their professed concern about corruption, Beck's and Hannity's programs have virtually ignored the controversies surrounding Blackwater, Halliburton, and KBR. Since May 2006, Beck's television programs have referenced the contractors only 21 times. Similarly, Hannity's programs have referenced them only 26 times.</div><div>
</div><div>Both have similarly ignored major developments in Abramoff and Ney corruption cases</div><div>Both Abramoff and Ney were imprisoned after being convicted of corruption. In the summer of 2006, Ney, who was enmeshed in the Abramoff scandal, retired from office. That fall, reports revealed extensive ties between Abramoff and the Bush White House and Republican congressional figures, threatening the electoral prospects of Republicans throughout the country. Ney soon pleaded guilty to corruption charges and was sentenced to a prison term. In September 2008, the Abramoff trial finally concluded with a four-year sentence for Abramoff himself.</div><div>
</div><div>Beck and Hannity consistently ignored developments in these cases of high-level Republican corruption. Despite the fact that the scandal involving Ney and Abramoff received broad coverage and was politically significant, Beck and Hannity largely ignored it. Throughout all of 2006, Beck mentioned Abramoff only a handful of times, often simply to dismiss his significance. For instance, on his November 8, 2006, program, following a major midterm election that returned control of Congress to Democrats, Beck said the following regarding corruption's effect on the election: “According to yesterday's exit polls, voters said the most important issue to them was corruption and ethics. You know, I don't believe that they're talking about Mark Foley or Jack Abramoff. Ask somebody if they even know who Jack Abramoff is.” For his part, Hannity did not mention Abramoff once during the week of the 2006 midterm elections, and Ney has been mentioned only a handful of times during the entire course of his Fox News broadcast.</div><div>
</div><div>Yet Beck and Hannity have devoted disproportionate attention to ACORN</div><div>Beck and Hannity mentioned ACORN 32 times more often than the military contractors. Between May 8, 2006, and September 18, 2009, ACORN was mentioned approximately 376 times as often on Beck's and Hannity's programs combined as Blackwater and approximately 35 times as often as Halliburton and KBR combined. In total, the two programs mentioned ACORN approximately 32 times as often as all of the military contractors combined.</div><div>
</div><div>Beck and Hannity mentioned ACORN 24 times more often than Abramoff and Ney. Between May 8, 2006, and September 18, 2009, ACORN was mentioned on Beck's and Hannity's television programs 24 times as often as Abramoff and Ney combined.</div><div>
</div><div>Methodology</div><div>Media Matters for America conducted a Nexis search for programs hosted by Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity between May 8, 2006, and September 18, 2009,* using the following terms:</div><div>
</div><div>SHOW(Glenn Beck OR Hannity) AND (CAPS(ACORN) OR Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now)</div><div>SHOW(Glenn Beck OR Hannity) AND (Jack Abramoff OR Abramoff)</div><div>SHOW(Glenn Beck OR Hannity) AND (Blackwater OR Black Water OR CAPS(XE))</div><div>SHOW(Glenn Beck OR Hannity) AND (Robert Ney OR Bob Ney OR Ney)</div><div>SHOW(Glenn Beck OR Hannity) AND (Halliburton)</div><div>SHOW(Glenn Beck OR Hannity) AND (Kellogg Brown Root OR KBR)</div><div>For each transcript, every mention of any of the searched terms by any person on the program was included in the study.</div><div>
</div><div>*Glenn Beck was off the air between October 17, 2008, and January 18, 2009, during his program's transition from CNN Headline News to Fox News. Included in the results were both Beck's Headline News and Fox News programs, as well as Hannity & Colmes, Hannity, and Hannity's America.</div><div>
</div><div>Justin Seidel is an intern at Media Matters for America.</div><div>=</div><div>
</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">NEW</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">GAO clears ACORN</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-648R"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-648R</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">intercept</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div></div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now</a></div><div>
</div><div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The&nbsp;<b>Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now</b>&nbsp;(<b>ACORN</b>) are an international collection of autonomous&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_organizing" title="Community organizing" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">community</a>-based organizations that advocated for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_registration" title="Voter registration" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">voter registration</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care" title="Health care" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">health care</a>, affordable housing, and other social issues. They are affiliated under&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_International" title="ACORN International" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">ACORN International</a>.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Founded in 1970 by&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade_Rathke" title="Wade Rathke" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Wade Rathke</a>&nbsp;and Gary Delgado,<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[3]</a></sup>&nbsp;at its peak ACORN had over 500,000 members and more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in over 100 cities across the U.S.<sup id="cite_ref-csm_4-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-csm-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[4]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-about-acorn_5-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-about-acorn-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[5]</a></sup>&nbsp;as well as groups in Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peru" title="Peru" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Peru</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-6" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[6]</a></sup>&nbsp;The rest of this article refers specifically to ACORN-USA (now organising as ACORN International<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-7" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[7]</a></sup>), unless otherwise noted.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Within the US, ACORN conducted voter registration drives, and worked to remove systemic barriers to registration of low and working-class voters. The&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party(United_States)" title="Republican Party (United States)" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Republican Party</a>regularly accused ACORN of committing or encouraging&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_fraud" class="mw-redirect" title="Voter fraud" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">voter fraud</a>, but few cases have been found or prosecuted. The organization conducted its own audits and cooperated with investigations of employees, referring some cases to law enforcement.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">ACORN suffered an extremely damaging&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy" title="ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">nationwide controversy</a>&nbsp;beginning in the fall of 2009 after two&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatism_in_the_United_States" title="Conservatism in the United States" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">conservative</a>&nbsp;activists,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_O%27Keefe" title="James O'Keefe" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">James O'Keefe</a>&nbsp;and Hannah Giles, secretly made and released videos of interactions with low-level ACORN personnel in several of their offices, portraying the personnel as encouraging criminal behavior. Multiple investigations on the federal, state, and county level found that the released tapes were selectively edited to portray ACORN as negatively as possible, that nothing in the videos warranted criminal charges against ACORN or its employees, and that the clandestine recordings violated privacy laws in Maryland and California.<sup id="cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_8-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-CA_AG_Report-8" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[8]</a></sup>&nbsp;In the meantime, however, the organization suffered an immediate loss of funding from government agencies with which it had contracts, and from private donors.<sup id="cite_ref-bankruptcy_9-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-bankruptcy-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[9]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-foxnewsvideo_10-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-foxnewsvideo-10" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[10]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-cbs_11-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-cbs-11" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[11]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The loss of funds had been too damaging, and by March 2010, 15 of ACORN's 30 state chapters had already closed.<sup id="cite_ref-bankruptcy_9-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-bankruptcy-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[9]</a></sup>&nbsp;ACORN announced it was closing its remaining state chapters and disbanding.<sup id="cite_ref-acornfolds_12-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-acornfolds-12" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[12]</a></sup>&nbsp;On November 2, 2010, its U.S. offices filed for&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapter_7,Title_11,United_States_Code" title="Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Chapter 7</a>&nbsp;liquidation effectively closing the organization.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-13" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[13]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">ACORN members and organizers formed new organizations in at least three states.<sup id="cite_ref-ACCE_14-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-ACCE-14" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[14]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-jsonline.com_15-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-jsonline.com-15" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[15]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-bankruptcy_9-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-bankruptcy-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[9]</a></sup></p><div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); padding: 7px; font-size: 13.3px; display: table; zoom: 1; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><input type="checkbox" role="button" id="toctogglecheckbox" class="toctogglecheckbox" style="direction: ltr; position: absolute; opacity: 0; z-index: -1; display: none;" /><div class="toctitle" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><h2 style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background: none; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 13.3px; display: inline; line-height: 1.3;">Contents</h2><span class="toctogglespan" style="font-size: 12.502px;"><label class="toctogglelabel" for="toctogglecheckbox" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(6, 69, 173);" /></span></div><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#Organization" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Organization</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#Issues_and_actions" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Issues and actions</span></a><ul style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#Predatory_lending_and_affordable_housing" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">2.1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Predatory lending and affordable housing</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#Living_wages" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">2.2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Living wages</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#Hurricane_Katrina_relief" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">2.3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Hurricane Katrina relief</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#Education" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">2.4</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Education</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#Voter_registration" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">2.5</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Voter registration</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#Gun_control" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">2.6</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Gun control</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#Home_Defender_Program" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">2.7</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Home Defender Program</span></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#History" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">History</span></a><ul style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-11" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#1970%E2%80%931975" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">3.1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">1970–1975</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-12" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#1975%E2%80%931980" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">3.2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">1975–1980</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-13" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#1981%E2%80%931989" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">3.3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">1981–1989</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-14" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#1988%E2%80%931998" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">3.4</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">1988–1998</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-15" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#1998%E2%80%932009" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">3.5</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">1998–2009</span></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-16" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#Budget" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">4</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Budget</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-17" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#Controversies" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">5</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Controversies</span></a><ul style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-18" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#2008" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">5.1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">2008</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-19" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#2008%E2%80%932009" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">5.2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">2008–2009</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-20" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#2009" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">5.3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">2009</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-21" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#Defund_ACORN_Act" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">5.4</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Defund ACORN Act</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-22" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#2010" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">5.5</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">2010</span></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-23" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#ACORN-affiliated_groups" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">6</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">ACORN-affiliated groups</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-24" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#References" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">7</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">References</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-25" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#Bibliography" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">8</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Bibliography</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-26" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#External_links" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">9</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">External links</span></a></li></ul></div><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); font-family: " linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height"><span class="mw-headline" id="Organization">Organization</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; font-family: sans-serif; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(84, 89, 93);">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Organization" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(84, 89, 93);">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">ACORN was composed of a number of legally distinct&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonprofit_organization" title="Nonprofit organization" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">nonprofit</a>&nbsp;entities and affiliates including a nationwide&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella_organization" title="Umbrella organization" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">umbrella organization</a>&nbsp;established as a&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/501(c)(4)" class="mw-redirect" title="501(c)(4)" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">501(c)(4)</a>&nbsp;that performed&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbying" title="Lobbying" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">lobbying</a>; local chapters established as&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/501(c)(3)" class="mw-redirect" title="501(c)(3)" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">501(c)(3)</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonpartisan(American_organizations)" class="mw-redirect" title="Nonpartisan (American organizations)" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">nonpartisan</a>&nbsp;charities; and the national nonprofit and nonstock organization, ACORN Housing Corporation. ACORN's priorities included: better housing and wages for the poor, more community development investment from banks and governments, better public schools,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_union" class="mw-redirect" title="Labor union" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">labor-oriented</a>&nbsp;causes and social justice issues. ACORN pursued these goals through demonstration, negotiation, lobbying for legislation, and voter participation.<sup id="cite_ref-r8144_16-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now#cite_note-r8144-16" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[16]</a></sup></p><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); font-family: " linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height"><span class="mw-headline" id="Issues_and_actions">Issues and actions</span></h2></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ref 2011 cain</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/story/151231/gop_hopeful_herman_cain%3A_david_koch%27s_stalking_horse">https://www.alternet.org/story/151231/gop_hopeful_herman_cain%3A_david_koch%27s_stalking_horse</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">F<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">or Mark Block, chief of staff for GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, it's been a good couple of weeks. In fact, it's been a good couple of years -- years Block spent at the helm of the Wisconsin chapter of Americans for Prosperity, where he helped win election for the likes of Gov. Scott Walker and Sen. Ron Johnson.</span></font></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When, after those and other successful efforts, Block left AFP in December to run the quixotic presidential campaign of a former fast-food magnate, political wags were scratching their heads. But to those at the top of the Americans for Prosperity heap, Block's charge to run Cain's campaign may just be his most important job yet. For if Cain does well enough in the GOP primaries to win more than a handful of delegates to the Republican National Convention next year, he could hold significant sway over the party platform, forcing the nominated candidate to run on the Koch agenda.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Despite the guffaws that greeted Cain's entry into the presidential arena, Block's candidate is ascendant in the polls, even gleaning a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/us/politics/05cain.html?pagewanted=1&r=2&hpw" style="text-decoration-line: none;">flattering profile</a>this week in the&nbsp;<em>New York Times,</em>&nbsp;a newspaper that people on Block's side of the fence sometimes refer to as&nbsp;<em>Pravda</em>&nbsp;(the defunct state-run paper of the Soviet Union). With his pugilistic sound bites,&nbsp;business background,&nbsp;neo-libertarian pronouncements,&nbsp;and anomalous status as African American amid the ranks of the Tea Partiers, Cain has captured media attention. Most recently, Cain made waves when Think Progress&nbsp;<a href="https://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/06/06/238067/cain-says-he-would-be-ok-with-appointing-gay-cabinet-members-because-they-wouldnt-impose-sharia-law/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">quoted him</a>&nbsp;telling an audience in Iowa, where the religious right holds sway in the Republican presidential caucuses, that he wouldn't hesitate to appoint an openly gay person to his cabinet "because they're not going to try to put sharia law in our laws."</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><interaction data-token="5b96855f8198b4e625350260" data-context="true" data-tags="" data-fallback="true" /></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What goes unremarked in such profiles is Cain's connection to the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, the organization founded (with its sibling organization, Americans for Prosperity) by David Koch, and chaired by Koch himself. Until he signed on as Cain's campaign manager last December, Block was state director for the Wisconsin chapter of Americans for Prosperity.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Not only is Cain a frequent speaker at AFP Foundation events, he was also, by his own account, tapped by Block to be one of the faces of Prosperity 101, a workplace seminar program, designed for employers to present to their employees at "voluntary" workplace gatherings where they are told that the legislative initiatives typically embraced by Democrats -- health-care reform, energy reform, higher taxes for the wealthiest Americans -- could so hurt their employers as to force layoffs. The program was set in motion during the lead-up to the 2010 elections. (AlterNet, working in collaboration with the Investigative Fund at the Nation Institute, published an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alternet.org/teaparty/151182/wall_street_journal_honcho_shills_for_secret_worker%27education%27_program_linked_to_koch_group/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">expos<span class="st">é</span></a>&nbsp;on Prosperity 101 last week.)</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Not long after Block sold Cain on Prosperity 101, Block was on a roll. At a February 2010&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNQvRIUaFOs&feature=related" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Tea Party rally in Sheboygan</a>&nbsp;(video), Block told the audience that he wouldn't be satisfied until membership in the Wisconsin AFP chapter equaled the membership of the state teachers union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council. Indeed, the membership numbers for his AFP chapter were moving upward, and the 2010 midterm elections were looking competitive for a number of candidates who had earned the favor of Americans for Prosperity: gubernatorial contender Scott Walker, U.S. Senate candidate Ron Johnson, and House of Representatives hopefuls Sean Duffy and Reid Ribble. All of these candidates went on to win their races, with Johnson, despite a notable absence of charisma, defeating long-time Sen. Russell Feingold, and Scott Walker going into the annals of Wisconsin history for having ignited 18 days of protest at the state capitol in Madison when he pushed a virulently anti-union bill through the state legislature in the guise of "budget repair."</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Dirty Pool</font></b></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Block is, without a doubt, a hard worker, but he's known not to rely solely on the rewards of an honest day's labor. As Walker's gubernatorial campaign unfolded, Block was revealed to be one of the powers behind a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.onewisconsinnow.org/press/one-wisconsin-now-exposes-voter-suppression-plans-between-republican-party-of-wisconsin-americans-fo.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">scheme to suppress the vote</a>&nbsp;in two Milwaukee congressional districts with the help of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, then chaired by Reince Priebus (who went on to become chairman of the Republican National Committee).</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In late 2010, the liberal advocacy group,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.onewisconsinnow.org/press/one-wisconsin-now-exposes-voter-suppression-plans-between-republican-party-of-wisconsin-americans-fo.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">One Wisconsin Now</a>, caught a Tea Party organizer on tape discussing Block's role in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/155688/inside-wisconsin-rights-voter-suppression-scheme" style="text-decoration-line: none;">vote-caging scheme</a>apparently designed to suppress voter turnout in two Milwaukee districts that are heavily populated by college students and African Americans.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Vote-caging is a technique whereby registered voters are sent letters marked "do not forward" so letters that are undeliverable at the residence to which they're addressed bounce back to the sender. The returned letters are then used by the sender to challenge the votes of those individuals at her or his polling place, meaning that person can only vote on a provisional ballot. The letters were sent by Block's Americans for Prosperity chapter, many to dormitory addresses in August -- a time when students would likely be between dorm assignments.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At first, Block denied any involvement in the scheme, until Tim Dake of the Tea Party group, Grandsons of Liberty,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/103398539.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">told the&nbsp;<em>Milwaukee Journal Sentinel</em></a>&nbsp;that he had personally spoken to Block about it. Block then conceded that AFP had done the mailing, but said they had abandoned the effort when too few letters were returned.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The 2010 vote-caging scheme hardly marks Block's first game of dirty politics. In fact, his first day at Americans for Prosperity marked the expiration of a three<strike>four</strike>-year ban on political campaign involvement imposed on him by a Wisconsin court for his illegal activity in a 2001 election.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Then, Block's triumph as campaign manager for Judge Jon Wilcox's successful run for state Supreme Court was tempered by a $15,000 fine for illegally using an outside group, the Wisconsin Citizens for Voter Participation, to conduct campaign activities.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Wisconsin Prosperity Network</font></b></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In right-wing circles, one will hear talk, from time to time, of the "Colorado model" -- the means by which liberals and progressives began to turn Colorado from a red state to a blue state in 2004. The model involves wealthy donors who fund "independent expenditure" television ads against the positions of an opposing candidate, and the building of an infrastructure of progressive organizations that facilitates coalition organizing. In 2008, Wisconsin progressives embarked on a similar course, delivering their swing state for Barack Obama.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Not to be outdone, the Wisconsin chapter of Americans for Prosperity hatched its own alliance in 2009 called the Wisconsin Prosperity Network, which came to life as a sort of coalition-in-a-box. With an estimated start-up pot of $6.4 million, the initial plan called for the instant creation of 14 new entities that would work together with the Wisconsin chapter of Americans for Prosperity.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When a leaked PowerPoint presentation found its way into the hands of the&nbsp;<em>Wisconsin State Journal</em>, Block conceded to reporter Mark Pitsch that he was the network's "main organizer." Among the new entities created for the network is the MacIver Institute, a right-wing think tank, on whose board sits Scott Jensen, a former state assembly speaker now facing trial for using taxpayer funds for personal expenses.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A major proponent of Scott Walker's union-busting bill, the Wisconsin Prosperity Network sponsored, with Americans for Prosperity, a "Stand With Walker" campaign during the days of protests earlier this year -- busing in Tea Partiers to rallies, and launching&nbsp;<a href="https://www.americansforprosperity.org/stand-with-walker-tv-ad" style="text-decoration-line: none;">TV advertisements</a>, Web sites and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.americansforprosperity.org/walker/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">petitions</a>.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During the protests, MacIver was exposed for misrepresenting one of its allies as a progressive activist, releasing a video in which a purported protester said a labor-allied doctor was writing fraudulent sick-day excuses for protesting workers. That "protester,"&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alternet.org/story/151231/%E2%80%9D//crooksandliars.com/node/44176/print%E2%80%9D" style="text-decoration-line: none;">according to karoli</a>, a blogger at the liberal Web site Crooks and Liars, turned out to be video producer Christian Hartsock, who made his name working with James O'Keefe on the discredited video that was used to fatally smear the community organizing group, ACORN.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The Answer to <u>ACORN</u></font></b></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">At last year's RightOnline conference, an event sponsored by the <b>Americans for Prosperity Foundation, </b>Wisconsin Prosperity Network executive director Linda Hansen unveiled before a roomful of activists at a Las Vegas hotel her latest project, Prosperity 101, the employer-sponsored workplace seminar program that advances the Koch agenda to nervous workers. On hand for the presentation was Herman Cain, along with&nbsp;<em>Wall Street Journal</em>&nbsp;Web columnist John Fund, whose colleague, editorial board member Stephen Moore, is, with Cain, a spokesperson for the program.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"A key component of Prosperity 101 is working with employers to help them encourage voter registration among their employees," Hansen explained to the crowd. "So when<b> Herman [Cain] first heard the concept here, he said, 'You've come up with the answer to ACORN!'"</b></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Cain, during his presentation, piped up, "when [Hansen] first came to me with Mark Block to explain the concept, I said, ‘This is fantastic!'"</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When I tried to learn more about the Prosperity 101 program -- which is used by two of the top 50 privately held corporations in the U.S.: Menard Inc. and Reinhart FoodService, a division of Reyes Holdings -- my emails to Hansen went unanswered. When I told a member of the Americans for Prosperity staff that I couldn't get through to Hansen, she suggested I talk to Mark Block, who did not return my call or respond to my email.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As chance would have it, I ran into Block last February in the lobby of the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C., site of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, at which Cain delivered a well-received speech. When I asked him for a few words about Prosperity 101, Block told me I'd have to talk with the people who were organizing it. When I said I had been directed to him by Americans for Prosperity, he looked down at his BlackBerry and walked away.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Stalking Horse?</font></b></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Go to the issues page of the Herman Cain for President Web site, and you'll find an agenda not unlike that of Americans for Prosperity -- in fact, almost exactly like that of Americans for Prosperity (save for military might, and "faith and family," items on which AFP does not appear to take a position). At the centerpiece of Cain's platform, according to the&nbsp;<em>New York Times</em>, is a 23-percent flat consumption tax, which Cain would implement in place of the federal income tax. Here's a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.americansforprosperity.org/052711-62-tax-rate-problem" style="text-decoration-line: none;">page from the Illinois AFP chapter</a>&nbsp;site that opines for just such a flat-tax scheme as advanced by the&nbsp;<em>Wall Street Journal</em>'s Stephen Moore, Cain's partner in the AFP-linked Prosperity 101 employee-indoctrination program.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Later this week, Cain is scheduled to speak at an&nbsp;</span><a href="https://americansforprosperity.org/060111-rggi-run-rally-wednesday-june-8-nyc" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none;">AFP event in New York</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, where he is expected to inveigh against the carbon-trading scheme known as cap-and-trade that is part of the&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Obama energy plan and one of AFP's pet peeves. (Koch Industries' core business is in the gas and oil sector.)</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When Cain's presidential candidacy was launched, it's likely that his AFP-linked backers never expected he would win the GOP presidential nomination, but that he would make an effective messenger for pushing the party further to the Koch positions. As it looks now, Cain could do even better than that, given the weak GOP presidential field. With each contest in primary season, contenders win delegates to the national convention, where the party platform is laid. Cain will likely do well in New Hampshire -- he could even win the state, as Patrick J. Buchanan did with his populist rhetoric in 1996. And with that win, and strong showings in a few other states, the Buchananites won control of the GOP platform, causing the nominee, Bob Dole, to run on a platform he could hardly stomach.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That may have lost the GOP the election, but it distilled the party into an even more right-wing body by the time it was George W. Bush's turn to bear the party standard. When the history of the 2016 presidential campaign is written, the role of Herman Cain and his&nbsp;consigliare, Mark Block, may prove to have been, to borrow a word from Cain -- "impactful."</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CORRECTION: The original version of this story mistakenly attributed the acquisition of the leaked PowerPoint outlining the Wisconsin Prosperity Network plan to One Wisconsin Now. The PowerPoint was actually originally obtained by the Wisconsin State Journal.</font></p><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ref 2 2015 2x?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://prospect.org/article/scott-walkers-shady-deals-win-him-campaign-cash-billionaires">http://prospect.org/article/scott-walkers-shady-deals-win-him-campaign-cash-billionaires</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">If&nbsp;<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">the Koch brothers have their way, the next president will be a guy they all but created—and one whose propensity for alliances and questionable deals with robber barons and at least one dirty political player mark a quality only an oligarch could love.</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When Walker, after winning Wisconsin’s 2010 gubernatorial election, burst on the national scene in 2011 with his jihad against the state’s public-sector unions, he seemed to come out of nowhere. But he had been groomed for years by powerful anti-labor forces, rising from the state assembly under the tutelage of Michael Grebe, president of the Bradley Foundation, a major backer of right-wing, anti-labor politicians and policies. Grebe also served as Walker’s campaign chairman.</font></span></p><p style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Sunday’s<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">New York Times</em>, reporters Patrick Healy and Monica Davey&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/08/us/politics/behind-scott-walker-a-longstanding-conservative-alliance-against-unions.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; transition: color 0s ease 0s, all 0.15s ease 0s; text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 0.8;">detail the role of the Bradley Foundation</a>, part of the right-wing, dark-money funding network in which billionaires Charles and David Koch play key roles as organizers and donors, in Walker’s rise to national stature.</span></font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-weight: inherit;">“At the risk of being immodest, I probably lent some credibility to his campaign early on,”</span><b>&nbsp;Grebe</b><span style="font-weight: inherit;">&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/08/us/politics/behind-scott-walker-a-longstanding-conservative-alliance-against-unions.html" style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; transition: color 0s ease 0s, all 0.15s ease 0s; text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 0.8;">told the&nbsp;<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Times</em></a><span style="font-weight: inherit;">&nbsp;reporters. It was Grebe, the&nbsp;</span><em style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Times</em><span style="font-weight: inherit;">&nbsp;reports, who first spotted Walker when the latter was a student at Marquette University (from which he never graduated).</span></font></span></p><p style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;" /><div class="pullquote-large pullquote-right" style="font-weight: 700; margin: 22px 0px 20px 20px; padding: 0px 30px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 22px; vertical-align: baseline; float: right; width: 255.984px; text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">If you want to take the measure of the Wisconsin governor as he prepares a run for the Republican presidential nomination, Block’s contribution to Walker’s stardom is instructive.</font></div><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-weight: inherit;">Mentioned in passing in the&nbsp;</span><em style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Times&nbsp;</em><span style="font-weight: inherit;">piece is&nbsp;</span><b>Mark Block, the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/685582/6_things_to_know_about%22smoking_man%22_in_herman_cain%27s_weird_new_ad(dude_was_banned_from_electoral_politics)/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; transition: color 0s ease 0s, all 0.15s ease 0s; text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 0.8;">dirty political operative</a>&nbsp;who built the Wisconsin chapter of the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity (AFP)</b><span style="font-weight: inherit;">, a group integral to Walker’s good fortune.&nbsp;</span><span class="pullquote-right" style="font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 40%; margin-left: 0px !important; float: none !important;">If you want to take the measure of the Wisconsin governor as he prepares a run for the Republican presidential nomination, Block’s contribution to Walker’s stardom is instructive.</span></font></span><p style="font-weight: inherit;" /><p style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When Block was tasked with building a new AFP chapter in the Dairy State, he did so with the expressed goal of challenging the teachers unions. As I&nbsp;<a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/151231/gop_hopeful_herman_cain%3A_david_koch%27s_stalking_horse" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; transition: color 0s ease 0s, all 0.15s ease 0s; text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 0.8;">reported for&nbsp;<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">AlterNet</em></a>&nbsp;in 2011, Block told participants in a February 2010 Sheboygan&nbsp;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNQvRIUaFOs&feature=related" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; transition: color 0s ease 0s, all 0.15s ease 0s; text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 0.8;">Tea Party rally</a>&nbsp;(video) that he wouldn't be satisfied until membership in the Wisconsin AFP chapter equaled the membership of the state teachers union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council.</font></span></p><p style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During the time that Block was building one of AFP’s most important chapters, he was also implicated in a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/149617/priebus%27_republican_national_committee%3A_a_wholly_owned_subsidiary_of_koch%27s_americans_for_prosperity/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; transition: color 0s ease 0s, all 0.15s ease 0s; text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 0.8;">voter-caging scheme</a>&nbsp;in Milwaukee that targeted university students and residents of African-American neighborhoods for ballot challenges during the 2010 election, the one that landed Scott Walker, then the executive of Milwaukee County, the governor’s mansion.&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Also implicated in the scheme was Reince Priebus, then chairman of the state Republican Party, who was&nbsp;<a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/149617/priebus%27_republican_national_committee%3A_a_wholly_owned_subsidiary_of_koch%27s_americans_for_prosperity" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; transition: color 0s ease 0s, all 0.15s ease 0s; text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 0.8;">rewarded with the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee</a>.</span></font></span></p><p style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At first,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/151231/gop_hopeful_herman_cain%3A_david_koch%27s_stalking_horse" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; transition: color 0s ease 0s, all 0.15s ease 0s; text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 0.8;">Block denied</a>&nbsp;using the auspices of Americans for Prosperity to mail out the 500 letters to targeted voters that would be used as the means to challenge their votes. But when Tim Dake, leader of the Tea Party group Grandsons of Liberty that was involved in the activist part of the scheme,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/103398539.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; transition: color 0s ease 0s, all 0.15s ease 0s; text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 0.8;">pointed the finger</a>&nbsp;at Koch’s man in Wisconsin, Block relented and admitted his and AFP’s involvement.</font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/08/us/politics/behind-scott-walker-a-longstanding-conservative-alliance-against-unions.html" style="font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; transition: color 0s ease 0s, all 0.15s ease 0s; text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 0.8;">According to the&nbsp;<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Times</em></a><span style="font-weight: inherit;">, in 2</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span style="font-weight: inherit;">010 AFP received $520,000 from the Bradley Foundation—under the direction, one assumes, of its president and Walker campaign chair, Michael Grebe, and AFP national returned the favor, spending some $3.7 million on ads supporting the governor when Walker opponents launched a ballot measure to recall his election after he led the rammed-through passage of Act 10, the law that ended collective bargaining rights for most public employees in the state, and prompted progressive activists to occupy the state Capitol building for weeks in Madison. In response, AFP launched a “</span><b>Stand With Walker” bus tour campaign.</b></span></font></span></p><p style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Around the time of Walker’s gubernatorial campaign, Block was involved in another entity, this one contrived for his own personal gain,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/151182/wall_street_journal_honcho_shills_for_secret_worker%27education%27_program_linked_to_koch_group?paging=off" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; transition: color 0s ease 0s, all 0.15s ease 0s; text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 0.8;">called Prosperity 101</a>, which was billed as an optional educational program for employees of the companies who brought his outfit in to “educate” them on economics and the dangers allegedly posed by labor unions. At the end of the sessions, participants are encouraged to register to vote, on the spot. An early client of the program was Menards, the third-largest home-improvement store chain in the nation, which is based in Eau Claire. Founder John Menard is a prominent right-wing donor.</font></span></p><p style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">(Block later got into some trouble for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/activities-of-former-cain-operative-scrutinized-nc4pt5q-145029735.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; transition: color 0s ease 0s, all 0.15s ease 0s; text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 0.8;">using the resources of Prosperity 101</a>&nbsp;inappropriately for the Herman Cain presidential campaign, which Block managed. That wasn’t the first time Block had run afoul of the law: he was banned from participating in Wisconsin politics for three years after some hinky campaign solicitations on behalf of a state judge whose campaign he ran.)</font></span></p><p style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Then there’s the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/walker-wanted-funds-sent-to-wisconsin-club-for-growth-b99336519z1-272364371.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; transition: color 0s ease 0s, all 0.15s ease 0s; text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 0.8;">murky campaign activities</a>&nbsp;of Walker’s own campaign during the recall election, the subject of a “John Doe” investigation by the Milwaukee County district attorney of allegations of illegal coordination between non-profit advocacy groups and the gubernatorial campaign.</span>&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/walker-wanted-funds-sent-to-wisconsin-club-for-growth-b99336519z1-272364371.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; transition: color 0s ease 0s, all 0.15s ease 0s; text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 0.8;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Journal Sentinel</em>&nbsp;reported</a>&nbsp;that Walker appeared to have asked prominent donors to contribute to the Wisconsin Club for Growth, a dark-money and bundling group that supports his anti-labor efforts. The prosecutors’ work has been on-again, off-again, as they face legal challenges to an effort whose details are cloaked in secrecy. Prosecutors have said that Walker himself is not a target, but it appears that former members of his campaign staff are.</font></span></p><p style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">David Koch, according to news reports, deemed Scott Walker his candidate of choice at a recent gathering of donors. And well he should, considering how well his Wisconsin toady has performed on his behalf.</font></span></p><p style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But should Koch see a Walker nomination, reporters will have a field day turning over all the rocks to inspect the writhing ecosystem underlying Walker’s success. The question is whether any exposure of the forces behind Wisconsin’s governor will make a whit of difference.</font></span></p></div></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A previous version of this article mistakenly stated that the home improvement store chain Menards was based in Racine, and that Scott Walker had attended the University of Wisconsin. Menards is headquartered in Eau Claire, and Walker was a student at Marquette University when he was first spotted by Michael Grebe. The article has been corrected.</font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ref grifty 2011</font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://archive.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/state-firms-cash-to-herman-cain-may-breach-federal-campaign-tax-laws-132898423.html/">http://archive.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/state-firms-cash-to-herman-cain-may-breach-federal-campaign-tax-laws-132898423.html/</a></font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.538em; vertical-align: baseline;">H</span><b style="">erman Cain's&nbsp;</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">two top campaign aides ran a private Wisconsin-based corporation that helped the GOP presidential candidate get his fledgling campaign off the ground by originally footing the bill for tens of thousands of dollars in expenses for such items as iPads, chartered flights and travel to Iowa and Las Vegas - something that might breach federal tax and campaign law, according to sources and documents.</span></font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Internal&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/vKLllo" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">financial records</a>&nbsp;obtained by&nbsp;<b>No Quarter&nbsp;</b>show that&nbsp;<b>Prosperity USA</b>&nbsp;said it was owed about $40,000 by the Cain campaign for a variety of items in February and March. Cain began taking donations for his presidential bid on Jan. 1.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Prosperity USA was owned and run by Wisconsin political operatives&nbsp;<b>Mark Block&nbsp;</b>and</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;<b>Linda Hansen</b>, Cain's current chief of staff&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">and deputy chief of staff, respectively.</span></font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The authenticity of the records was verified by two individuals close to the firm.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It is not known if Cain's election fund eventually paid back Prosperity USA, which now appears defunct. The candidate's federal election filings make no mention of the debt, and the figures in the documents don't match payments made by the candidate's campaign.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In addition to picking up these expenses at least initially,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;Prosperity USA also paid as much as $100,000 to the&nbsp;<b>Congress of Racial Equality</b>, a conservative black organization, shortly before Cain was a featured speaker at the group's annual Martin Luther King Jr. dinner in mid-January.</span></font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Cain, who has surged to a top-tier presidential candidate in the past month, apparently was not paid for the appearance. The personal financial disclosure forms for the former CEO of&nbsp;<b>Godfather's Pizza</b>&nbsp;list no honorariums for speeches.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Election law experts say the transactions raise a host of questions for the private organization, which&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/vLhLUz" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">billed itself</a>&nbsp;as a tax-exempt nonprofit, and the Cain team.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"If the records accurately reflect what occurred, this is way out of bounds," said a Washington, D.C.-based election lawyer who advises many Republican candidates and conservative groups on campaign issues. The lawyer asked not to be identified because of those affiliations.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Michael Maistelman</b>, a Wisconsin campaign attorney, agreed.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"The number of questionable and possibly illegal transactions conducted on behalf of Herman Cain&nbsp;is staggering," said Maistelman, a Democrat who has represented politicians from both parties on campaign issues.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Block and Hansen have not returned numerous calls in recent days.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Late Friday, Block sent an email saying: "Will be able to respond to you, but need to schedule time to review questions. Obviously in the midst of a Presidential campaign I cannot drop everything."</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For decades,&nbsp;<b>Block worked behind the scenes for several conservative candidates and causes in Wisconsin</b>. He is best known in the state for his role as campaign manager for former state Supreme Court Justice&nbsp;<b>Jon Wilcox&nbsp;</b>in 1997. Accused of election law violations, Block settled the case by agreeing to pay a $15,000 fine and to stay out of Wisconsin politics for three years.</font></span></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">More recently, Block, 57, ran the state chapter of&nbsp;<b>Americans for Prosperity</b>, a nonprofit cofounded by the conservative Koch brothers that helped organize the tea party movement in Wisconsin and elsewhere.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It was through Americans for Prosperity that Block met Cain and&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/qGHPLS" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">encouraged him to run</a>&nbsp;for national office.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Block's role with the Cain campaign became a point of national interest in the past week when a bizarre online&nbsp;</span><a href="http://bit.ly/uwH4yL" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">campaign ad</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;featuring the chain-smoking Wisconsin operative went viral.</span></font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In recent years, Block spun off a handful of organizations from Americans for Prosperity, most of them incorporating "prosperity" in the name. Officials with Americans for Prosperity emphasize that these other groups were legally separate from their organization.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The largest group founded by Block was called&nbsp;<b>Wisconsin Prosperity Network</b>, which was&nbsp;<a href="http://www.capdale.com/files/News/6f24def7-f140-401c-ae38-55c8732a682f/Presentation/NewsAttachment/c87751a6-c1f6-4bb6-8cb4-581dfcd65c2c/TP-Wisc_Prosperit_Network.pdf" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">supposed to be</a>&nbsp;an umbrella organization that would spend more than $6 million a year underwriting a dozen or so other conservative groups in the hopes of turning the state red.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the 2008&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/uBRNe7" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">incorporation papers</a>, Block is listed as the president of Wisconsin Prosperity Network, which was set up as a tax-exempt nonprofit group. That means the charitable organization cannot have direct political involvement. Hansen was the group's executive director.</font></span></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Last year, Block started up Prosperity USA, another tax-exempt charitable group for which Block appeared to be the sole board member. Again, Hansen handled the day-to-day operations.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Insiders familiar with the groups say the two groups were closely linked and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from prominent conservatives around the state. One supporter, who asked that his name not be used because he still supports Cain and other conservatives, said he and many others were deeply upset with the groups - and Hansen, in particular - for failing to use the money for its intended purposes.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Internal financial records show both organizations were operating in the black during the first half of 2010.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But by early this year, expenses were far outpacing income at the two entities. Balance sheets showed Wisconsin Prosperity Network was more than $62,000 in the hole by early February; Prosperity USA was in even worse shape, with its liabilities exceeding its assets by $110,000.</font></span></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In fact, the records indicate Prosperity USA's biggest asset was nearly $40,000 that it was owed by "FOH," a reference to&nbsp;<b>Friends of Herman Cain</b>, the name of Cain's presidential operation.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A more detailed checking account says the Cain campaign owed nearly $15,000 for an "Atlanta invoice," about $17,000 for chartered flight service and $5,000 for travel and meetings in Iowa, Las Vegas, Houston, Dallas and Louisiana. The document says the Cain campaign had been billed $3,700 for iPads purchased on Jan. 4.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A series of small-ticket items for travel and expenses by Block are listed as "not billed to FOH but due from them."</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The national election expert who works with GOP candidates said it would be a violation of the tax code for Prosperity USA to advance money to the Cain campaign for these items.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;She said there also are strict federal election regulations on reporting debts and incurring travel obligations.</span></font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"I just don't see how they can justify this," she said. "It's a total mess."</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The records suggest that Prosperity USA had been underwriting travel for Cain even before he announced his plans to run for president.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For instance, one document says the group was to be paid $5,000 for the costs associated with Cain's speech in September 2010 to the conservative&nbsp;<b>Right Nation&nbsp;</b>rally in Chicago, an event that the records say Cain attended at the request of Americans for Prosperity. The Cain campaign later&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/u9EgAR" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">used a segment</a>&nbsp;from that speech in a campaign ad.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Along with these expenses, the internal records note Prosperity USA paid for such items as Block's trip to Washington, D.C., to meet with billionaire philanthropist&nbsp;<b>David Koch</b>.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;Singer&nbsp;</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Krista Branch,</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;who recorded "I Am America," the unofficial anthem of the tea party movement, was supposed to be paid $3,000 by the Wisconsin group.</span></font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Cain has&nbsp;<a href="http://nyti.ms/vvucyQ" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">adopted</a>&nbsp;the tune as his campaign song. Branch's husband,&nbsp;<b>Michael</b>, who wrote the song,&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/sADwN9" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">has been paid</a>&nbsp;$11,250 in his role as the Cain campaign's Tennessee director and $7,360 as a fundraising consultant.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">More intriguing, the records show Prosperity USA received $150,000 in loans from individuals who could not be identified.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sources familiar with the group say Hansen paid much of the loan money earlier this year to the<b>&nbsp;</b></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Congress of Racial Equality,</b>&nbsp;a former civil rights organization that now promotes conservative causes. In mid-January, Cain was a&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/gJWWop" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">featured speaker</a>&nbsp;at the group's annual awards dinner, which was hosted by controversial conservative blogger&nbsp;<b>Andrew Breitbart</b>.</span></font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Congress of Racial Equality is headed by&nbsp;<b>Niger Innis</b>, who did not return calls last week. He and his father,&nbsp;<b>Roy Innis</b>, made several appearances at Wisconsin tea party events in the past.</font></span></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Several board members for Prosperity USA and Wisconsin Prosperity Network resigned from the organization when they learned after the fact that Hansen had borrowed this money and donated much of it to the conservative group, according to insiders.</font></span></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the summer, the attorney for the two groups,&nbsp;<b>Michael Dean</b>, resigned as the registered agent for Wisconsin Prosperity Network in a&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/uBRNe7" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">letter</a>&nbsp;filed with the state Department of Financial Institutions. Sources say he also contacted the Internal Revenue Service regarding the group's application for tax-exempt status.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Reached at home last week, Dean declined to comment.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Even though there is little or no evidence that the Wisconsin Prosperity Network is still functioning, the group is one of the listed litigants in a case currently before the state Supreme Court.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The trail of red ink left by Block and Hansen, however, extends beyond the private entities they founded.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Several conservatives say the state chapter of Americans for Prosperity was left with a stack of unpaid invoices totaling tens of thousands of dollars when Block officially left the organization at the start of the year.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Matt Seaholm</b>, who replaced Block as the director of the state chapter, declined to discuss the group's finances.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"I'll leave that to the national office," Seaholm said.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A spokesman for Americans for Prosperity in Virginia did not return calls Friday.</font></p><p style="line-height: 28px; margin: 0px auto 18px 291px; padding-bottom: 0px; max-width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 224-2135 or&nbsp;<a style="font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">dbice@journalsentinel.com</a>.&nbsp;</font></p><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">https://www<b>.judicialwatch.</b>org/<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">blog/2010</span>/03/acorn-operating-under-different-name/</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><p style="padding: 0px 25px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>...crime-infested community organization famous for voter registration fraud</b> blames right-wing attacks for its demise as covert branches pop up under different names, allowing the original group to keep much of its public funding.</font></p><p style="padding: 0px 25px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Obama-backed Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has conveniently changed its name to shed its criminal history, but the scandal-plagued leftist group is still alive and quite active. ACORN, which annually rakes in millions of U.S. tax dollars, is hardly folding as the charity’s sympathy-seeking leaders claim.</font></p><p style="padding: 0px 25px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Instead the group is simply branching out under aliases while directors blame a series of&nbsp;<a href="http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100323/D9EKAI0O0.html" class="extl" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: none;">well-orchestrated, relentless, well-funded, right-wing</a>&nbsp;attacks for its collapse. Partisan operatives have caused a huge decline in revenue and stripped ACORN’s ability to raise crucial resources, they assert, while conveniently omitting the nonprofit’s criminal history.</font></p><p style="padding: 0px 25px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">So what’s an illicit enterprise to do? Assume a new identity to reignite the cash flow, both private and public. ACORN affiliates from coast-to-coast — including New York and California — have broken away and changed their names in order to dump the group’s crooked reputation.</font></p><p style="padding: 0px 25px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With offices across the nation, the nonprofit has received tens of millions of tax dollars over the years despite its documented history of embezzlement, fraud and cooking the books. ACORN has been criminally prosecuted for voter registration fraud in various states and was exposed in a world-famous video for advising prostitutes and pimps on how to skirt housing and taxing laws.</font></p><p style="padding: 0px 25px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The nonprofit’s history of fraud and corruption led to a congressional investigation that determined the community group is a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2009/aug/acorn-director-pleads-guilty" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: none;">criminal enterprise</a>. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A lengthy report published by the House Committee on Government Reform reveals that ACORN has repeatedly and deliberately engaged in systematic fraud and that the group hides behind a paper wall of nonprofit corporate protections to conceal a criminal conspiracy on the part of its directors, to launder federal money in order to pursue a partisan political agenda and to manipulate the American electorate.</span></font></p><p style="padding: 0px 25px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Judicial Watch has extensively investigated ACORN, its strong ties to President Obama, its intimidation tactics, involvement in the housing market meltdown and fraudulent voter registration drives.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judicialwatch.org/investigation-acorn" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: none;">Click here</a>&nbsp;to see public records and other documents involving ACORN scandals.</span> A mere name change can’t possibly erase the history.</font></p></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2008 <b>jon oliver vadum</b> crack for votes</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">she tells him off, he fake apologizes; 1st true thing yuo've said; then goes for gag again, where is the crack;&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">punked?</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" /><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2008 kos</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div>&nbsp;have previously expressed concerns about ACORN but found a criticism of them that is way over the top.</div><div>
</div><div>A Daily Show episode featured Bertha Lewis, the chief organizer at ACORN, being interrogated by John Oliver who was on the prowl for crack cocaine.</div><div>
</div><div>Oliver to Lewis: "Don't pretend you don't know what I'm going to ask you. Where's the crack?"</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>The crack issue was raised by another guest on the show named Matthew Vadum, who works for Capital Research Center. Ed Meese is on their board. Need I say more?</div><div>
</div><div>I looked it up and this assclown claims the drug claims are true.</div><div>
</div><div>I'm not convinced. It looks like ACORN has made some very bad hiring decisions in the past but to suggest it's a conspiracy is wingnuttery.</div><div>
</div><div>Why was the Daily Show dignifying this bullshit?</div><div>
</div><div>lip10/30/2008</div><div>
</div><div>If only community organizers' shameful behavior stopped at drug dealing and rigging elections.</div><div>back to ma, walking by demo/WH? called me mfer; if vote bo, dissapoint all mfers like him</div></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" /><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;Vera v. O'Keefe III (3:10-cv-01422)</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div>View on PACER Search this Docket</div><div>
</div><div>District Court, S.D. California</div><div>Assigned To: Judge M. James Lorenz</div><div>Referred To: Magistrate Judge Mitchell D. Dembin</div><div>Date Filed: July 8, 2010</div><div>Date Terminated: May 2, 2013</div><div>Date of Last Known Filing: May 2, 2013</div><div>Cause: 28:1331 Fed. Question</div><div>Nature of Suit: 890 Other Statutory Actions</div><div>Jury Demand: Plaintiff</div><div>Docket Entries</div><div>
</div><div>&nbsp;by Staff Report &nbsp;March 8, 2013 &nbsp;75 &nbsp;in &nbsp;News Posts</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>July 8, 2010<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>COMPLAINT with Jury Demand against DOES, Hanna Giles, James O'Keefe III (</span> Filing fee $ 350 receipt number 15494.), filed by Juan Carlos Vera.(ecs) (jrl). (Entered: 07/08/2010)</div><div></div></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>videos still up on veritas with no acknowledgmnt of bogus:</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://projectveritas.com/2013/03/08/james-okeefe-settles-meritless-lawsuit-this-is-the-cost-of-exposing-the-truth/</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">March 8, 2013&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">BS</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.8; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">NEW YORK – Today after three years fighting a meritless lawsuit against former ACORN employee Juan Carlos Vera, a&nbsp;nuisance&nbsp;settlement has been filed.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> James O’Keefe issued the following statement in regards to the settlement:</span></font></p><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.8; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“There comes a time when the cost to defend yourself against meritless accusations becomes so burdensome financially and personally, it is simply too great. The settlement admits no liability and there is no benefit from extending this ridiculous lawsuit. “Sadly, this is the cost of exposing the truth. That’s why so few people do it. There are liability issues inherent in undercover journalism. But let me be clear, this lawsuit had nothing to do with editing or misrepresentation. It was an action under the California Invasion of Privacy Act.&nbsp;The anti-recording statute under which the suit was brought is unconstitutional, overbroad, and gives the police and other public officials too much power.</font></span></p></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.8; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“As President of Project Veritas and undertaking 5 current investigations, my time and resources are better served in working toward our mission of exposing waste, fraud, and abuse then defending myself against lies. I will not be deterred from investigating and exposing corruption. Now more than ever, America is in need of a more ethical and transparent society.”&nbsp;</font></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.8; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Never-heard before details surrounding this case and much more will be revealed in a book by James O’Keefe to be released in June 2013.</font></strong></p></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">gawker</font></div><div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.7; max-width: 636px; margin: 0px auto 1.5rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Journalism school&nbsp;<a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">laughingstock</a>&nbsp;and expert&nbsp;<a href="http://gawker.com/5881303/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">jazz hands practitioner</a>&nbsp;James O'Keefe will <b>pay $100,000 and apologize to a former ACORN employee who was fired after being featured in one of O'Keefe's 2009 "sting" videos. </b>The&nbsp;<a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">heavily-edited</a>&nbsp;videos were successful, in that they led to a congressional investigation that eventually <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">shutdown ACORN, <b>netting O'Keefe&nbsp;<a href="http://gawker.com/5900857/james-okeefe-earned-65k-for-his-acorn-sting" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">$65,000</a>&nbsp;in the process</b>. The videos were also, apparently, illegally filmed, at least the one shot in California. Former ACORN employeed Juan Carlos Vera&nbsp;<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/15/james-okeefe-lawsuit-acorn_n_1782949.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">sued</a>&nbsp;O'Keefe and his partner-in-crime Hannah Giles last year, saying the secretly recorded video violated California law that prohibits recording someone without their permission.</span></font></p><aside class="link-preview" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 576px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: auto auto 20px; padding: 10px;" arial="Arial" narrow="Narrow" sans-serif="sans-serif"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /></font><h6 style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 6px;"><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5858254/watch-james-okeefe-get-laughed-at-by-his-ambush-victims" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">Watch James O'Keefe Get Laughed at by His Ambush Victims</a></font></font></font></font></h6><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.7; max-width: 636px; margin: 0px auto;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">James O'Keefe has been lurking in journalism school hallways across the country in pursuit of…</font></font></font></p></aside><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.7; max-width: 636px; margin: 0px auto 1.5rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Giles settled last summer </b>and now, as&nbsp;<a href="http://wonkette.com/505026/wonket-sexclusive-totally-blameless-crime-stopper-james-okeefe-to-pay-100000-to-acorn-criminal" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">Wonkette reports</a>, O'Keefe has agreed to pay Vera $100,000 and issue an apology in exchange for Vera dropping the lawsuit. The settlement also features the lame apology, "O'Keefe regrets any pain suffered by Mr. Vera or his family."</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.7; max-width: 636px; margin: 0px auto 1.5rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">O'Keefe's interview with Vera is below, as is the settlement agreement.</font></font></font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></font></font></div><div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.7; max-width: 636px; margin: 0px auto 1.5rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">James O'Keefe has been lurking in journalism school hallways across the country in pursuit of his latest bombshell series "To Catch a Journalist." So far, he's blown the lid off the story that&nbsp;<a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/business/2011/10/james-okeefe-burns-his-own-strawman-new-video/44227/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">some college professors like Barack Obama</a>&nbsp;and that&nbsp;<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dale-maharidge/james-okeefe-project-veritas_b_1069647.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">sometimes journalists drink alcohol</a>&nbsp;and use bad words. When O'Keefe attempted to confront Columbia University j-school's dean of students Sree Sreenivasan with these shocking revelations in a pantomime of Mike Wallace, Sreenivasan just laughed at the poor guy.</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.7; max-width: 636px; margin: 0px auto 1.5rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The ostensible reason for O'Keefe's visit was to get Sreenivasan's response to O'Keefe having "caught" Columbia University professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Dale Maharidge using bad words in an email. (Those bad words? "<a href="http://theprojectveritas.com/maharidge" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">Hey shitheads, Check out my comments about you: [Facebook link] Fuck you, man. Bring it on. Dale Maharidge</a>.")</font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.7; max-width: 636px; margin: 0px auto 1.5rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Instead of a comment, O'Keefe got some sniggering questions, like, "<a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">Why didn't you dress like you were in some of your other videos</a>?"</font></font></font></p><aside class="link-preview" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 576px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: auto auto 20px; padding: 10px;" arial="Arial" narrow="Narrow" sans-serif="sans-serif"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /></font></font></font><h6 style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 6px;"><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></a><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;" /><a href="http://gawker.com/5508190/okeefe-and-breitbart-acorn-videos-severely-edited" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">O'Keefe and Breitbart ACORN Videos 'Severely Edited'</a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></h6><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.7; max-width: 636px; margin: 0px auto;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The right-wing zealots were forced to release their unedited ACORN pimp tapes to California…</font></font></p></aside><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.7; max-width: 636px; margin: 0px auto 1.5rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"So you stand behind profanity-laced emails?" O'Keefe asked, stupidly. When he left,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.twitpic.com/7buevn" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">according to Sreenivasan</a>'s Twitter feed, he ran into some trouble with the door.</font></font></font></p><blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245); padding: 14px; max-width: 636px; margin: 0px auto 1.5rem; font-family: " arial="Arial" narrow="Narrow" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.7; max-width: 636px; margin: 0px auto;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After he was done with me, I should have kept rolling, because they get to the exit and find they can't open it. He says, "Have they locked us in?" Turns out they were pulling the door instead of pushing it.</font></font></font></p></blockquote></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2010/12/still-making-an-innocent-man-look-bad/177964/</font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></font></font></div><div><section id="article-section-1" style="width: 630px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 630px; padding-right: 330px; font-family: " lyon="Lyon" text="Text" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">by Conor Friedersdorf</font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There's a guy named <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Juan Carlos Vera. He worked at an ACORN office in San Diego,</b> California. One day, James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles walked in with a hidden video camera, and pretended to be a pimp and prostitute. They asked for help smuggling underage girls across the Mexican border so that they could work in a brothel. Confronted with what appeared to be a sex trafficking plot, you'd hope that someone would play along, get as much information as possible, and call the police. And guess what? That's exactly what Mr. Vera did! Unbeknownst to O'Keefe or Giles, he called his cousin, a police officer, shortly after they left his office.</span></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Perhaps you know what happened next. Having cut his teeth editing&nbsp;<em>The Drudge Report</em>&nbsp;and its notoriously misleading headlines, Internet entrepreneur Andrew Breitbart published the ACORN videos, <b>which fooled me at the time </b>– I praised them, and even encouraged Breitbart to pressure attorneys general into investigating the organization. I've never felt like such a fool. Some of the ACORN tapes reflect very badly on that organization, but taken as a whole, they are misleading in a lot of ways.&nbsp;</font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The San Diego ACORN video was particularly misleading.</font></span></font></font></p></section><section id="article-section-2" style="width: 630px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 630px; padding-right: 330px; font-family: " lyon="Lyon" text="Text" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Put another way, Andrew Breitbart published videos that made an innocent man look as if he was complicit in a plot to traffic underage girls across the border. Granted, he didn't do this on purpose. Still, it happened. And it&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/politics/PoliceACORN-Employee-Reported-Alleged-Smuggling.html" target="self" data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'0',r'177964'" style="text-decoration: none;">cost</a>&nbsp;the guy his job:</font></font></font></p><blockquote style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238); margin: 0px; padding: 40px; border-radius: 5px;"><p id="paragraph3" style="margin-top: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A man fired from ACORN's San Diego-area office for discussing human smuggling with a fake pimp and prostitute&nbsp;reported the incident to police two days after it happened, according to information released by the police.<a href="http://www.nbcsandiego.com/topics?topic=Juan+Carlos+Vera" title="Juan Carlos Vera" data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'1',r'177964'" style="text-decoration: none;">&nbsp;Juan Carlos Vera</a>&nbsp;was fired by ACORN after a videotape was aired on Fox News showing him discussing with a couple posed as a pimp and a prostitute the best ways to smuggle underage prostitutes into the U.S. from El Salvador.</font></font></font></p><p id="paragraph4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"It's better if it's in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nbcsandiego.com/topics?topic=Tijuana" title="Tijuana" data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'2',r'177964'" style="text-decoration: none;">Tijuana</a>," Vera is&nbsp;heard saying in the video.&nbsp; "Because I have a lot of contacts in Tijuana."</font></font></font></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>But police said in a press release that Vera reported the incident to his cousin, a detective with the National City Police&nbsp;Department.</b> Vera worked in ACORN's National City office. The detective contacted a federal task force that deals with human smuggling,&nbsp;and an officer from the task force asked for more details.&nbsp;</font></font></font></p></blockquote><div><div style="overflow: hidden; border: medium none;"><div style="background-color: transparent; overflow: hidden; border: medium none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After publishing videos of Vera that made him look like a sex trafficker and costing the man his job, did Breitbart explain how the mistake happened, apologize and correct the record? Did he alert his readers to the truth? Having expressed outrage at the media on countless occasions for trafficking in serious accusations that weren't grounded in facts, did he behave better after realizing that he'd done exactly the same thing?</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: transparent; overflow: hidden; border: medium none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: transparent; overflow: hidden; border: medium none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nope. As far as I know, neither an apology nor a correction has ever appeared. The vast majority of his readership remains misinformed. The San Diego videos&nbsp;<a href="http://biggovernment.com/jokeefe/2009/09/17/acorn-video-prostitution-scandal-in-san-diego-ca/" target="self" data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'3',r'177964'" style="text-decoration: none;">remain posted</a>&nbsp;at&nbsp;<em>Big Government</em>, misleading as ever. I've attempted to get Breitbart and O'Keefe to address this. No luck. But Breitbart has a habit of having long, often profane arguments with his detractors on Twitter. A guy named Frank Vayan Walton&nbsp;<a href="http://twitter.com/Vyan1/status/19532133051666432" target="self" data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'4',r'177964'" style="text-decoration: none;">raised</a>&nbsp;the subject of Vera. And&nbsp;<a href="http://twitter.com/AndrewBreitbart/statuses/19532594395750400" target="self" data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'5',r'177964'" style="text-decoration: none;">here</a>&nbsp;is how Breitbart responded on December 27, 2010 (brackets are my added context):</font></font></font></div><blockquote style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238); margin: 0px; padding: 40px; border-radius: 5px;"><div style="overflow: hidden; background-color: transparent; border: medium none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Juan Vera called [his police officer] cousin LONG after videos were filmed - when James [O'Keefe] refused to hook up w him to help girls over border. Try again!</font></font></font></div></blockquote><div style="overflow: hidden; border: medium none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After examining phone records and conducting interviews with two police officers, the <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">California Attorney General's Office reported [<a href="http://ag.ca.gov/cms_attachments/press/pdfs/n1888_acorn_report.pdf" target="self" data-omni-click="r'article',r'link',r'6',r'177964'" style="text-decoration: none;">PDF</a>] this about O'Keefe and Giles' visit with Vera: "<span style="font-weight: 700;" lyon="Lyon" display="Display" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif">Immediately</span>&nbsp;after the couple left, Vera telephoned his cousin, Detective Alejandro Hernandez, at the National City Police Department."</span></font></font></font></div><div style="overflow: hidden; border: medium none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: transparent; overflow: hidden; border: medium none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The report goes on:</font></font></font></div><blockquote style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238); margin: 0px; padding: 40px; border-radius: 5px;"><div style="overflow: hidden; background-color: transparent; border: medium none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He left a voicemail message for Detective Hernandez stating that some “crazy people” were in his office providing information.&nbsp; Vera did not explain the substance of the conversation and did not make reference to prostitution or human smuggling on the message.&nbsp; He asked his cousin to call him back.&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: " lyon="Lyon" display="Display" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif">Later that day</span>, Vera also&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: " lyon="Lyon" display="Display" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif">reported the incident to fellow ACORN employee Cruz Acosta</span>.&nbsp; Acosta had been away from the office while the couple was present.&nbsp; Vera explained to him what happened.&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: " lyon="Lyon" display="Display" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif">Vera also reported the incident, either the same day or shortly thereafter, to Mar Murrillon, an ACORN board member</span>.&nbsp; Vera told Murrillon that he had reported the incident to the police.&nbsp; (Vera Interview.) Vera eventually spoke with Detective Hernandez on August 27, 2009.</font></font></font></div></blockquote></div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">So Breitbart is factually wrong. He is also&nbsp;<em>still</em>&nbsp;insinuating than an innocent man was willing to be complicit in the transnational smuggling of underage prostitutes. All this seems like a story to me! Something that would be of interest to folks on the press beat like Howard Kurtz or Jack Shafer or others. And shouldn't all the press outlets that wrote about the ACORN tapes from San Diego note this development? I'd even say that conservative publications that value informing their readership more than having a good relationship with a powerful ideological ally like Breitbart should report on this story. But do such publications exist?</font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">If Breitbart has evidence that the California AG's report is wrong, he should come forward with it. If not, he should apologize for tarnishing Vera's reputation and costing him his job. Absent one or the other, can anyone defend him?</font></font></font></p></div></section><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy</font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></font></font></div><div><div id="mw-content-text" lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr" style="direction: ltr;"><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In 2009, workers at offices of the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now" title="Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now</a>&nbsp;(ACORN), a&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-profit_organization" class="mw-redirect" title="Non-profit organization" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">non-profit organization</a>&nbsp;that had been involved for nearly 40 years in voter registration, community organizing and advocacy for low- and moderate-income people, were secretly recorded by conservative activists&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Giles" class="mw-redirect" title="Hannah Giles" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Hannah Giles</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_O%27Keefe" title="James O'Keefe" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">James O'Keefe</a>&nbsp;– and the videos "heavily edited" to create a misleading impression of their activities.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[1]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[2]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[3]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-4" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[4]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-nymag1_5-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-nymag1-5" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[5]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-NYT2010Newman_6-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-NYT2010Newman-6" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[6]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Salon2010Madden_7-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Salon2010Madden-7" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[7]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The edited videos were released on&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News" title="Fox News" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">Fox News</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;and the website&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BigGovernment.com" class="mw-redirect" title="BigGovernment.com" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">BigGovernment.com</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;from September into November 2009,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> generating extensive, negative publicity for ACORN, and leading to the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census_Bureau" class="mw-redirect" title="Census Bureau" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Census Bureau</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Revenue_Service" title="Internal Revenue Service" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">IRS</a>&nbsp;ending their contracts with ACORN, the U.S. Congress suspending its funding<sup id="cite_ref-FOX_8-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-FOX-8" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[8]</a></sup>&nbsp;– and ACORN losing most of its private funding, despite several independent investigations that by December 2009 began to reveal no criminal activity by ACORN staff had taken place</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-Salon2010Madden_7-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Salon2010Madden-7" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[7]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CA_AG_Report-9" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[9]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-10" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[10]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-11" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[11]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-CA_AG_Release_12-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CA_AG_Release-12" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[12]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-13" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[13]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-cnn.com_14-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-cnn.com-14" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[14]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">ACORN filed for&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapter_7,Title_11,United_States_Code" title="Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Chapter 7</a>&nbsp;liquidation on November 2, 2010, effectively closing the organization</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-15" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[15]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-16" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[16]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-associated_17-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-associated-17" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[17]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-times-acorn-lorber_18-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-times-acorn-lorber-18" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[18]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-AP-08-13-10_19-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-AP-08-13-10-19" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[19]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;" /><div id="toc" class="toc" style="background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 7px; display: table; zoom: 1;"><div id="toctitle" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></font></div><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#Hannah_Giles_and_James_O.27Keefe" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe</span></font></a></font></font></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#Hidden_camera_recordings_and_video_releases" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Hidden camera recordings and video releases</span></font></a></font></font><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#September_2009" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">2.1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">September 2009</span></font></a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#ACORN_response" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">ACORN response</span></font></a></font></font><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#October_2009" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3.1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">October 2009</span></font></a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#November_2009" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3.2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">November 2009</span></font></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#Aftermath_for_ACORN" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">4</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Aftermath for ACORN</span></font></a></font></font></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#Response_by_government_and_state_authorities" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">5</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Response by government and state authorities</span></font></a></font></font></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#Investigations_of_ACORN_and_the_videos" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Investigations of ACORN and the videos</span></font></a></font></font><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#Independent_external_investigation_by_Proskauer_Rose" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Independent external investigation by Proskauer Rose</span></font></a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-11" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#Report_by_the_Congressional_Research_Service" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Report by the Congressional Research Service</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-12" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#Investigation_by_New_York_attorney_general" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Investigation by New York attorney general</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-13" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#Investigation_by_California_attorney_general" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.4</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Investigation by California attorney general</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-14" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#Investigation_by_the_U.S.Government_Accountability_Office" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6.5</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Investigation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office</span></font></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-15" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#Media_controversy" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">7</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Media controversy</span></font></a></font></font></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-16" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#Criticisms_of_the_undercover_videos" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">8</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Criticisms of the undercover videos</span></font></a></font></font></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-17" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#References" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">9</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">References</span></font></a></font></font></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-18" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#External_links" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">10</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">External links</span></font></a></font></font></li></ul></div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;" /><h2 style="background: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="Hannah_Giles_and_James_O.27Keefe">Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe</span></font></font></font></h2><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>Hannah Giles</b>&nbsp;(born March 15, 1989) is an American conservative activist. She came to national attention with James O'Keefe in the United States in September 2009 as a featured player in videos they had filmed secretly in encounters at offices of the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now" title="Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now</a>&nbsp;(ACORN). At the time, Giles was studying journalism at&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_International_University" title="Florida International University" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Florida International University</a>. Following the videos' release and extensive media coverage, she dropped out of college to "pursue demands to keep up with public appearances and job offers".<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-20" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[20]</a></sup>&nbsp;Giles and O'Keefe spent $1,300 to accomplish what&nbsp;<i>Washington Post</i>&nbsp;reporters called a "Mission to Fell ACORN".<sup id="cite_ref-WAPost_21-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-WAPost-21" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[21]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><div role="note" class="hatnote" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding-left: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="">Main article:&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_O%27Keefe" title="James O'Keefe" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">James O'Keefe</a></font></font></font></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">James E. O'Keefe III</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;(born June 28, 1984) is an&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">American</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;conservative&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activist" class="mw-redirect" title="Activist" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">activist</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">-</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmmaker" class="mw-redirect" title="Filmmaker" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">filmmaker</a><sup id="cite_ref-Phone_22-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Phone-22" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[22]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-nyt-55_23-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-nyt-55-23" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[23]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;who came to national attention in the United States in September 2009 with the release of his ACORN undercover videos. O'Keefe worked for about a year at the&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_Institute" title="Leadership Institute" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">Leadership Institute</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, led by&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morton_Blackwell" title="Morton Blackwell" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">Morton Blackwell</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-npr_24-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-npr-24" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[24]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;O'Keefe has described his politics as "<b>progressive radical"</b>,</span><sup id="cite_ref-los_angeles_times_25-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-los_angeles_times-25" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[25]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;although media coverage and his own activities consistently paint him as a&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatism_in_the_United_States" title="Conservatism in the United States" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">conservative</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">. He has expressed admiration for the philosophies of British writer&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.K.Chesterton" class="mw-redirect" title="G.K. Chesterton" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">G.K. Chesterton</a>&nbsp;and Soviet dissident writer&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Solzhenitsyn" title="Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Solzhenitsyn_26-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Solzhenitsyn-26" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[26]</a></sup>&nbsp;He has made additional secret videos since then, also found to have been heavily edited to misrepresent his subjects, or present them in the worst light.</span><sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (October 2016)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;On January 26, 2010, O'Keefe was arrested with three colleagues, including Robert Flanagan, the son of the acting U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of Louisiana, and initially charged with a federal felony for attempting to maliciously interfere with the office telephone system of U.S. Senator&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Landrieu" title="Mary Landrieu" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">Mary Landrieu</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;and to tape conversations of her and her staff.</span><sup id="cite_ref-Phone_22-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Phone-22" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[22]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;They later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and were given minor sentences including community service.</span></font></font></font></p><h2 style="background: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="Hidden_camera_recordings_and_video_releases">Hidden camera recordings and video releases</span></font></font></font></h2><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>In July and August 2009, Giles and O'Keefe visited ACORN offices</b> in&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore" title="Baltimore" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Baltimore</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,D.C." title="Washington, D.C." style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Washington, D.C.</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn" title="Brooklyn" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Brooklyn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino,California" title="San Bernardino, California" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">San Bernardino</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego" title="San Diego" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">San Diego</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia" title="Philadelphia" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Philadelphia</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles" title="Los Angeles" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Los Angeles</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami" title="Miami" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Miami</a>. Giles dressed as a prostitute, while O'Keefe wore white khakis with a blue dress shirt and/or tie and claimed to be her boyfriend.<sup id="cite_ref-TheLens_27-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-TheLens-27" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[27]</a></sup>&nbsp;Giles and O'Keefe recorded the encounters using hidden cameras<sup id="cite_ref-associated_17-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-associated-17" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[17]</a></sup>&nbsp;and pretended to be seeking advice on how to run an illegal business<sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated1_28-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-autogenerated1-28" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[28]</a></sup>&nbsp;that included the use of underage girls in the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_worker" title="Sex worker" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">sex trade</a>.</font></font></font></p><h3 style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: none; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span class="mw-headline" id="September_2009">September 2009</span></font></font></font></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Edited videos from the visits to ACORN offices in&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore" title="Baltimore" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Baltimore</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,D.C." title="Washington, D.C." style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Washington, D.C.</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn" title="Brooklyn" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Brooklyn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino,California" title="San Bernardino, California" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">San Bernardino</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego" title="San Diego" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">San Diego</a>&nbsp;were released between September 10 and September 17, 2009, and were <b>used to launch&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Breitbart" title="Andrew Breitbart" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Andrew Breitbart</a>'s&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BigGovernment.com" class="mw-redirect" title="BigGovernment.com" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">BigGovernment.com</a>&nbsp;website</b></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-nyt20090926_29-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-nyt20090926-29" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[29]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-30" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[30]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-31" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[31]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In the videos, O'Keefe included segments in which he wore a fur coat, top hat, sunglasses, and wielded a cane, giving viewers, including the media, the impression that he had dressed that way when he visited the ACORN offices and spoke to its workers.<sup id="cite_ref-TheLens_27-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-TheLens-27" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[27]</a></sup>&nbsp;As part of the deception and distortion of the released videos, O'Keefe added that portion as a lead-in, but he was dressed professionally during his ACORN visits. He never revealed himself on camera in the visits to the ACORN offices.<sup id="cite_ref-TheLens_27-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-TheLens-27" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[27]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><table class="wikitable sortable jquery-tablesorter" style="background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); margin: 1em 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); border-collapse: collapse;"><caption style="font-weight: bold;"><b><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">September video release summary</font></b></caption><thead><tr><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN Office Location</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Video
release
date</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Transcript
release
date</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Date video
taken</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Number of
videos /
total time</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Transcripts</font></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore" title="Baltimore" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Baltimore</a><sup id="cite_ref-baltimore_32-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-baltimore-32" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[32]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-09-10</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-09-10<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-33" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[33]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Unknown</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2 / 18:07</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/09/10/complete-acorn-baltimore-prostitution-investigation-transcript" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4">1</font></a></td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,D.C." title="Washington, D.C." style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Washington, D.C.</a><sup id="cite_ref-washington_34-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-washington-34" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[34]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-09-11</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-09-14<sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-35" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[35]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-07-25<sup id="cite_ref-washington_34-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-washington-34" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[34]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2 / 12:46</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/09/14/acorn-video-prostitution-scandal-in-washington-dc/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4">1</font></a></td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn" title="Brooklyn" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Brooklyn</a><sup id="cite_ref-newyork_36-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-newyork-36" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[36]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-09-14</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-09-15<sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-37" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[37]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-08-04<sup id="cite_ref-newyork_36-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-newyork-36" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[36]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2 / 15:42</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11298085/New-York-ACORN-Transcript" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4">1</font></a></td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino,California" title="San Bernardino, California" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">San Bernardino</a><sup id="cite_ref-sanbernardino_38-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-sanbernardino-38" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[38]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-09-15</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-09-19<sup id="cite_ref-39" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-39" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[39]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-08-17<sup id="cite_ref-sanbernardino_38-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-sanbernardino-38" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[38]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">4 / 28:31</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11437661/Full-ACORN-San-Bernadino-Transcript" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" size="4">1</font></a></td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego" title="San Diego" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">San Diego</a><sup id="cite_ref-sandiego_40-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-sandiego-40" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[40]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-09-17</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-09-19<sup id="cite_ref-41" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-41" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[41]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-42" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[42]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-08-18<sup id="cite_ref-sandiego_40-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-sandiego-40" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[40]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2 / 12:48</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/09/19/full-transcript-acorn-prostitution-scandal-san-diego-part-i/" style="text-decoration: none; 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line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In the&nbsp;</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Baltimore</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;office, the released video lets viewers hear O'Keefe saying that he and Giles were bringing up thirteen girls from&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Salvador" title="El Salvador" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">El Salvador</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;"like 15" years of age to live in their house and work as prostitutes "just to get them on their feet so they can do this type of thing".</span><sup id="cite_ref-43" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-43" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[43]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;Giles remarks, "they are kind of dependent".</span><sup id="cite_ref-44" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-44" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[44]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;Although the Baltimore ACORN staffer pointed out their plans were illegal, after O'Keefe says, "we are going to be putting a roof over [their] head," the ACORN employee states, "well then you know what you can always claim them as dependents".<sup id="cite_ref-45" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-45" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[45]</a></sup>&nbsp;Later, the employee says, "you are gonna use three of them they are gonna be under 16 so you is eligible to get child tax credit and additional child tax credit".<sup id="cite_ref-46" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-46" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[46]</a></sup>&nbsp;When O'Keefe asks, "what if they are going to be making money because they are performing tricks too?" the employee replies, "but if they making money and they are underage, then you shouldn't be letting anybody know anyway."<sup id="cite_ref-47" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-47" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[47]</a></sup>&nbsp;<b>The Baltimore employees were fired by ACORN after the video was released</b></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>.</b></span><sup id="cite_ref-nytimesvideo_48-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-nytimesvideo-48" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[48]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-bmoresunvideo_49-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-bmoresunvideo-49" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[49]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In the&nbsp;<b style="">Washington, D.C.</b>, office, Giles and O'Keefe ask about how to account for Giles' anticipated prostitution income on tax forms. Giles asks, "is there a way I can make up two years of tax returns?" The ACORN employee replies, "no you can't make it up", but tells Giles that she could form a business and state that she provides a service.<sup id="cite_ref-50" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-50" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[50]</a></sup>&nbsp;The employee says, "you can have a business. She's not going to put down that she's doing prostitution", and "you don't have to sit back and tell people what it is you do".<sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-51" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[51]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-DCACORN_52-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-DCACORN-52" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[52]</a></sup>&nbsp;Giles later tells an ACORN employee that she will be giving the money earned from prostitution to O'Keefe. The employee says, "when the police ask you – you don't know where it's coming from"</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-DCACORN_52-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-DCACORN-52" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[52]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-53" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-53" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[53]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In the&nbsp;<b>Brooklyn</b>&nbsp;office, Giles and O'Keefe tell a loan counselor they want to buy a house, and that an abusive pimp is "aggressively" pursuing Giles. She "wanted to leave because it is scary being subjected to a huge man who has control over your life".<sup id="cite_ref-54" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-54" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[54]</a></sup>&nbsp;The ACORN counselor advises her "you get a tin if [he] is going to come beat you... you get a tin and bury it down in there and you put the money right in and you put grass over it and you don't tell a single soul".<sup id="cite_ref-55" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-55" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[55]</a></sup>&nbsp;</font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">When discussing getting a house and Giles' earnings, O'Keefe says that Giles is very honest and an ACORN counselor replies, "honest is not going to get you the house that is why you probably been denied cause you probably going in saying".<sup id="cite_ref-56" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-56" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[56]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-NYPACORN_57-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-NYPACORN-57" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[57]</a></sup>&nbsp;Another stated to Giles, "you can't say what you do for a living".<sup id="cite_ref-NYPACORN_57-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-NYPACORN-57" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[57]</a></sup>&nbsp;For tax and banking purposes, and to establish a legitimate income and credit history, Giles was told she needed to start saying she was a "freelancer".<sup id="cite_ref-NYPACORN_57-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-NYPACORN-57" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[57]</a></sup>&nbsp;The ACORN employee also suggested that Giles open two accounts at separate banks, depositing no more than $500 each a week to ensure few eyebrows are raised.<sup id="cite_ref-NYPACORN_57-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-NYPACORN-57" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[57]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In the&nbsp;<b style="">San Bernardino</b>&nbsp;office, ACORN employee Tresa Kaelke told O'Keefe and Giles they could classify the underage brothel as a "group home" to avoid detection; she suggested the pair "invest in a line of vitamins" to disguise the location's true purpose.<sup id="cite_ref-FoxKaelke_58-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-FoxKaelke-58" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[58]</a></sup>&nbsp;Later, Kaelke stated she believed the activists were joking and made a variety of absurd or joking statements to them.<sup id="cite_ref-59" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-59" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[59]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-60" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-60" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[60]</a></sup>&nbsp;She said they were "somewhat entertaining, but they weren't even good actors"</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-61" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-61" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[61]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Office supervisor Christina Spach said Kaelke "pretended to cooperate with O'Keefe and Giles because she feared for her safety". Kaelke responded to the pair's requests for help setting up a child-prostitution ring on the video by claiming to be an ex-prostitute and exclaiming, "</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidi_Fleiss" title="Heidi Fleiss" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">Heidi Fleiss</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;is my hero!"</span><sup id="cite_ref-WSJKaelke_62-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-WSJKaelke-62" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[62]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</span></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The California Attorney General's investigation of Kaelke determined that "none of her claims" on the video were true, that "she was playing along with what she perceived as a joke", and there was "no evidence she had ever engaged in prostitution".<sup id="cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CA_AG_Report-9" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[9]</a></sup>&nbsp;According to CNN, the filmmakers released a transcript of their discussion with Kaelke that included a comment left out of the originally released tape in which Kaelke said that ACORN would have nothing to do with their prostitution business.<sup id="cite_ref-63" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-63" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[63]</a></sup>&nbsp;Kaelke said that her supervisor "would shoot this down faster than a bat out of hell", but advised the couple to conceal the prostitution business by calling it a massage parlor.<sup id="cite_ref-FoxKaelke_58-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-FoxKaelke-58" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[58]</a></sup>&nbsp;<b style="">Kaelke was fired by ACORN after the videos were released.</b></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In the&nbsp;<b>San Diego</b>&nbsp;office, edited video showed ACORN employee Juan Carlos Vera telling O'Keefe he had "contacts" in "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tijuana" title="Tijuana" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Tijuana</a>" to help get underage girls across the border.<sup id="cite_ref-64" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-64" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[64]</a></sup>&nbsp;But, after the discussion with O'Keefe, Vera reported O'Keefe's fabricated plan for human smuggling to police</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-65" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-65" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[65]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-66" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-66" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[66]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-67" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-67" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[67]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Vera was fired for what ACORN called "unacceptable conduct". Vera had said he tried to help the fake prostitute because she said that she needed to escape her controlling pimp.</span><sup id="cite_ref-68" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-68" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[68]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;On July 8, 2010, after the AG's Report confirmed that he had contacted the police to try to thwart the couple's smuggling plan, Vera filed a civil suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California against O'Keefe and Giles for recording him without his permission, which was a violation of California law.</span><sup id="cite_ref-69" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-69" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[69]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-70" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-70" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[70]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;In July 2012, Giles settled the case with Vera, leaving Vera's lawsuit with O'Keefe to move forward.</span><sup id="cite_ref-71" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-71" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">[71]</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;[he paid 100K, apology feint and said cost of doing biz to get rid of nuisance suit]</span></sup></font></font></font></p><h2 style="background: none; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="ACORN_response">ACORN response</span></font></font></font></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In response to release of the first videos, ACORN CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertha_Lewis(activist)" title="Bertha Lewis (activist)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Bertha Lewis</a>&nbsp;said on Fox News on September 20, 2009, "[i]n a way, this was good for us, so what it did was show up to us what weaknesses we have, and we have moved swiftly ... in order to correct that." She said that after viewing the tapes, she had fired all the employees featured and had begun a comprehensive external investigation.<sup id="cite_ref-Fox_News_Sunday_72-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Fox_News_Sunday-72" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[72]</a></sup>&nbsp;As ACORN learned more from its employees of what had taken place, it called the videos "false" and "defamatory".<sup id="cite_ref-nytimesvideo_48-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-nytimesvideo-48" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[48]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-bmoresunvideo_49-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-bmoresunvideo-49" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[49]</a></sup>&nbsp;A spokesman accused O'Keefe of dubbing the audio on the videos.<sup id="cite_ref-73" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-73" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[73]</a></sup>&nbsp;On September 23, 2009, ACORN filed suit in a Baltimore court against the filmmakers,<sup id="cite_ref-74" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-74" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[74]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-75" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-75" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[75]</a></sup>&nbsp;citing "extreme emotional distress" of the ACORN workers and violation of two-party consent recording laws.<sup id="cite_ref-76" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-76" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[76]</a></sup>&nbsp;It later allowed the suit to lapse.</span><sup id="cite_ref-77" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-77" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">[</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-77" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">77]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><h3 style="background: none; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: none; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="October_2009">October 2009</span></font></font></font></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>On October 21,</b> O'Keefe and Giles released video footage of their visit to the Philadelphia office of ACORN at a&nbsp;<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Press_Club(United_States)" title="National Press Club (United States)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">National Press Club</a>&nbsp;conference.</b></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> They claimed it was to show they had received help there, after an ACORN spokesman had said that the pair had been asked to leave the Philadelphia office.</span><sup id="cite_ref-PressClub_78-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-PressClub-78" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[78]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Washington Post</i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;"obtained a July 24 police report that showed police were called when O'Keefe and Giles attempted their sting at ACORN's Philadelphia offices—and that the couple were escorted out of those offices". Susan Kinzie of&nbsp;</span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Washington Post</i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;noted that "the heavily edited footage includes audio of the two conservatives but none of the ACORN Housing Corp. worker's responses to their questions."</span><sup id="cite_ref-PressClub_78-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-PressClub-78" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[78]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;Junette Marcano, a board member of Philadelphia ACORN, said, "This is a targeted assault to disenfranchise our members because ... the right-wing agenda is to stop us from empowering people of low and moderate incomes. When you make the poor powerful, the powerful feel threatened</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">."</span><sup id="cite_ref-PressClub_78-2" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-PressClub-78" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[78]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Leonnig" class="mw-redirect" title="Carol Leonnig" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">Carol Leonnig</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, a&nbsp;</span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Post" class="mw-redirect" title="Washington Post" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Washington Post</a></i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;staff writer who attended the press conference, said in an interview that day on&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News" title="Fox News" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">Fox News</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;that, in explaining why the audio portion did not include the worker's responses, O'Keefe said, "on the one hand, the pair are concerned about the legal ramifications."</span><sup id="cite_ref-OntheRecord_79-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-OntheRecord-79" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[79]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;O'Keefe claimed secondly "that the tape battery died".</span><sup id="cite_ref-OntheRecord_79-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-OntheRecord-79" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[79]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;Commenting on the Philadelphia video, Leonnig said, "...when you go to this office, and you see this tape, I don't think he's got the goods to say that ACORN lied."</span><sup id="cite_ref-OntheRecord_79-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-OntheRecord-79" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">[7</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-OntheRecord-79" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">9]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;Both Giles and O'Keefe declined to answer questions after the release of the October video</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-PressClub_78-3" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-PressClub-78" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[78]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><table class="wikitable sortable jquery-tablesorter" style="background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); margin: 1em 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); border-collapse: collapse;"><caption style="font-weight: bold;"><b><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">October press conference release</font></b></caption><thead><tr><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN Office Location</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Video
release
date</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Transcript
release
date</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Date video
taken</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Number of
videos /
total time</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Transcript</font></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia" title="Philadelphia" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Philadelphia</a><sup id="cite_ref-FoxNewsOct212009_80-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-FoxNewsOct212009-80" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[80]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-10-21<sup id="cite_ref-FoxNewsOct212009_80-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-FoxNewsOct212009-80" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[80]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Not available</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-07-24<sup id="cite_ref-FoxNewsOct212009_80-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-FoxNewsOct212009-80" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[80]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">1 / Unknown</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Not released</font></td></tr></tbody><tfoot /></table><h3 style="background: none; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: none; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="November_2009">November 2009</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: November 2009" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></font></font></h3><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On November 16, 2009, the pair released a video from their visit to the Los Angeles office of ACORN.</font></font></font></p><table class="wikitable sortable jquery-tablesorter" style="background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); margin: 1em 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); border-collapse: collapse;"><caption style="font-weight: bold;"><b><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">November video release summary</font></b></caption><thead><tr><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN Office Location</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Video
release
date</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Transcript
release
date</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Date video
taken</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Number of
videos /
total time</font></th><th class="headerSort" tabindex="0" role="columnheader button" title="Sort ascending" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 21px 0.2em 0.4em; background-color: rgb(234, 236, 240); text-align: center; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" viewbox="viewBox" height="height" width="width" cpath="Cpath" m14.5="M14.5" l-4="l-4" zm14.5="zM14.5" l-4-4-4="l-4-4-4" z="z" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Transcript</font></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles" title="Los Angeles" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Los Angeles</a><sup id="cite_ref-81" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-81" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[81]</a></sup></font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Unknown</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2009-11-16</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Unknown</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2 / 15:28</font></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em 0.4em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Not released</font></td></tr></tbody><tfoot /></table><h2 style="background: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="Aftermath_for_ACORN">Aftermath for ACORN</span></font></font></font></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>On March 19, 2010,&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">The New York Times</a></i>&nbsp;reported that ACORN was on the verge of filing for bankruptcy; </b>15 of the group's 30 state chapters had disbanded over the past six months, and other chapters (including the largest, in New York and California) had renamed themselves and severed all ties to the national organization.</span><sup id="cite_ref-bankruptcy_82-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-bankruptcy-82" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[82]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Two unnamed ACORN officials told the&nbsp;</span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Times</i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;that the following weekend, a teleconference was planned to discuss a bankruptcy filing; "private donations from foundations to Acorn [had] all but evaporated." The federal government had ended contracts with the group related to organizing counts in urban areas for the Census and work for the IRS.</span><sup id="cite_ref-bankruptcy_82-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-bankruptcy-82" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[82]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"[L]ong before the activist videos delivered what may become the final blow, the organization was dogged for years by financial problems and accusations of fraud."</span><sup id="cite_ref-bankruptcy_82-2" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-bankruptcy-82" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[82]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;"<b>That 20-minute video ruined 40 years of good work</b>", said Sonja Merchant-Jones, former co-chairwoman of ACORN's recently closed Maryland chapter. "But if the organization had confronted its own internal problems, it might not have been taken down so easily."</span><sup id="cite_ref-bankruptcy_82-3" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-bankruptcy-82" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[82]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>On March 22, 2010, </b>National ACORN spokesman Kevin Whelan says the organization's board decided to close remaining state affiliates and field offices by April 1 because of falling revenues.</span><sup id="cite_ref-83" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-83" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[83]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;<b>On April 20, the ACORN CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertha_Lewis(activist)" title="Bertha Lewis (activist)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Bertha Lewis</a>&nbsp;reported that ACORN was "still alive</b>. We're limping along. We're on life support."<sup id="cite_ref-AP_4-20_84-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-AP_4-20-84" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[84]</a></sup>&nbsp;Lewis said that ACORN's annual budget had been reduced from $25 million to $4 million, and that its staff of 350 to 600 people had been reduced to four.<sup id="cite_ref-AP_4-20_84-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-AP_4-20-84" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[84]</a></sup>&nbsp;Lewis explained the controversy had left a stain on ACORN, "sort of like a scarlet letter". It had forced the group to spend money to respond to "one investigation after another"</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-AP_4-20_84-2" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-AP_4-20-84" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[84]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><h2 style="background: none; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="Response_by_government_and_state_authorities">Response by government and state authorities NOTE SPEED OF ACTION</span></font></font></font></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States" title="President of the United States" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">President</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama" title="Barack Obama" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Barack Obama</a>&nbsp;stated the video content was "certainly inappropriate and deserves to be investigated".</b><sup id="cite_ref-pritchard_85-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-pritchard-85" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[85]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-attorney_86-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-attorney-86" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[86]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-obama_87-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-obama-87" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[87]</a></sup><b>&nbsp;</b></span></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>ACORN's partnership in the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_United_States_Census" title="2010 United States Census" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">2010 United States Census</a>&nbsp;was terminated on September 11, 2009.</b><sup id="cite_ref-wsjournal_88-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-wsjournal-88" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[88]</a></sup>&nbsp;</span></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>The&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate" title="United States Senate" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">United States Senate</a>&nbsp;voted to exclude ACORN from federal funding on September 14,</b><sup id="cite_ref-associated_17-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-associated-17" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[17]</a></sup>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.House_of_Representatives" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. House of Representatives" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">House of Representatives</a>&nbsp;voted 345-75 to eliminate federal funding to ACORN on <b>September 17.</b><sup id="cite_ref-FOX_8-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-FOX-8" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b>[</b>8]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-89" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-89" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[89]</a></sup><b>&nbsp;</b></span></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boehner" title="John Boehner" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">John Boehner</a>, the Republican leader of the House, introduced HR 3571 the "Defund ACORN Act" on September 15</b>,<sup id="cite_ref-90" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-90" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[90]</a></sup>&nbsp;and<b> Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_Issa" title="Darrell Issa" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Darrell Issa</a></b>&nbsp;moved to incorporate that bill as an amendment to the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (HR 3221).<sup id="cite_ref-91" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-91" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[91]</a></sup>&nbsp;Both resolutions were later nullified in a&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_District_Court" class="mw-redirect" title="United States District Court" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">federal court</a>&nbsp;ruling by Judge&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Gershon" title="Nina Gershon" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Nina Gershon</a>&nbsp;that the measures were an unconstitutional&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_of_attainder" title="Bill of attainder" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">bill of attainder</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-times-acorn-lorber_18-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-times-acorn-lorber-18" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[18]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-THRUSH_92-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-THRUSH-92" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[92]</a></sup>&nbsp;On August 13, 2010, however, a federal appeals court reversed that decision, and upheld the Congressional resolutions that cut off federal funding for ACORN.</span><sup id="cite_ref-AP-08-13-10_19-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-AP-08-13-10-19" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[19]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>On September 23, the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Revenue_Service" title="Internal Revenue Service" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Internal Revenue Service</a>&nbsp;removed ACORN from its&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_Volunteer_Income_Tax_Assistance_Program" title="IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">volunteer tax-assistance program</a>.</b><sup id="cite_ref-93" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-93" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[93]</a></sup>&nbsp;On September 24, the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.Treasury_Department" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. Treasury Department" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">U.S. Treasury Department</a>'s&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspector_General#United_States" class="mw-redirect" title="Inspector General" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Inspector General</a>&nbsp;announced it would initiate a broader probe into "the government's oversight of&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax-exempt" class="mw-redirect" title="Tax-exempt" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">tax-exempt</a>&nbsp;organizations like ACORN when they engage in political activities"</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-94" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-94" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[94]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><h2 style="background: none; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span class="mw-headline" id="Investigations_of_ACORN_and_the_videos" style="">Investigations of ACORN and the videos</span></font></font></font></h2><h3 style="background: none; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: none; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="Independent_external_investigation_by_Proskauer_Rose">Independent external investigation by Proskauer Rose</span></font></font></font></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">On September 16, 2009, ACORN suspended advising new clients and initiated an independent review process, headed by&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Harshbarger" title="Scott Harshbarger" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">Scott Harshbarger</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, an attorney from the&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proskauer_Rose" title="Proskauer Rose" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">Proskauer Rose</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;firm and a former Massachusetts Attorney General.</span><sup id="cite_ref-95" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-95" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[95]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Rutenberg_96-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Rutenberg-96" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[96]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;On September 16,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertha_Lewis(activist)" title="Bertha Lewis (activist)" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">Bertha Lewis</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, ACORN's&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_executive_officer" title="Chief executive officer" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">CEO</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, froze admission to all of ACORN's service programs and instituted a review committee to implement organizational reforms.</span><sup id="cite_ref-nbcwashington_97-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-nbcwashington-97" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[97]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-reforms_98-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-reforms-98" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[98]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The independent external investigation found that while some of the counsel given by employees and volunteers was "unprofessional and inappropriate", the videos that had been released appeared to have been edited, "in some cases substantially", and <b>ACORN employees had taken no illegal actions</b>.</span><sup id="cite_ref-99" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-99" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[99]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><h3 style="background: none; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: none; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="Report_by_the_Congressional_Research_Service">Report by the Congressional Research Service</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Report by the Congressional Research Service" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></font></font></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">On December 22, 2009, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a report on ACORN activities, </span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">commissioned by the House Judiciary Committee. </b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It stated that ACORN has not been found to violate any federal regulations in the past five years. In addition, findings included:</span><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> There were </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">no instances of voter fraud</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> by individuals who were allegedly registered to vote improperly by ACORN or its employees;</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> No instances where ACORN violated terms of federal funding in the last 5 years. The CRS found that<b> O'Keefe and Giles may have violated Maryland and California laws </b>banning the recording of face-to-face conversations without consent of both parties.</span><sup id="cite_ref-100" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-100" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[100]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-101" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-101" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">[101]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><h3 style="background: none; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: none; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="Investigation_by_New_York_attorney_general">Investigation by New York attorney general</span></font></font></font></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The New York&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attorney_General" class="mw-redirect" title="Attorney General" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Attorney General</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Cuomo" title="Andrew Cuomo" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Andrew Cuomo</a>, began an investigation on September 15, 2009</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, to ensure that state grants given to ACORN were properly spent.</span><sup id="cite_ref-NEW_YORK_POST_102-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-NEW_YORK_POST-102" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[102]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-NEW_YORK_DAILY_103-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-NEW_YORK_DAILY-103" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[103]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;The New York City Council suspended all ACORN grants while the Brooklyn&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_Attorney" class="mw-redirect" title="District Attorney" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">District Attorney</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">'s Office conducted an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the videos.</span><sup id="cite_ref-104" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-104" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[104]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;On March 1, 2010, the&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_Attorney" class="mw-redirect" title="District Attorney" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">District Attorney</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">'s office for <b>Brooklyn determined that the videos were "heavily edited" to give a misleading impression,</b></span><sup id="cite_ref-nymag1_5-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-nymag1-5" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[5]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;and </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">concluded that there was no criminal wrongdoing by the ACORN Brooklyn staff filmed in the videos.</span><sup id="cite_ref-NYT2010Newman_6-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-NYT2010Newman-6" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[6]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;A law enforcement source said, "They edited the tape to meet their agenda."</span><sup id="cite_ref-Salon2010Madden_7-2" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Salon2010Madden-7" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[7]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-105" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-105" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[105]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><h3 style="background: none; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: none; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="Investigation_by_California_attorney_general">Investigation by California attorney general</span></font></font></font></h3><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On September 25, 2009, in response to<b> Governor Schwarzenegger's request to investigate the incidents,</b> the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Attorney_General" class="mw-redirect" title="California Attorney General" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">California Attorney General</a>'s office opened an investigation "into the controversy surrounding videos that purportedly show members of community organizing group ACORN giving advice on how to open a brothel".<sup id="cite_ref-106" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-106" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[106]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>On April 1, 2010, Attorney General&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Brown" title="Jerry Brown" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Jerry Brown</a></b>&nbsp;announced the office's findings, based on its review of new unedited videotapes recorded in the California offices of ACORN, as well as other evidence.<sup id="cite_ref-CA_AG_Release_12-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CA_AG_Release-12" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[12]</a></sup>&nbsp;The AG had granted O'Keefe and Giles immunity from prosecution in exchange for the raw videotapes. The report noted that the terms of the exchange did not exempt O'Keefe or Giles from being sued separately by the ACORN members filmed in the videos</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-2" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CA_AG_Report-9" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[9]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;Citing the 1967 Invasion of Privacy Act, Attorney General Office's report stated, "an application of these principles to the facts presented here </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">strongly suggests that O'Keefe and Giles violated state privacy laws and provides fair warning to them and others that this type of activity can be prosecuted in California.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"</span><sup id="cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-3" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CA_AG_Report-9" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[9]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Attorney General Office criticized O'Keefe for not acting as a journalist trying to objectively report a story from the facts, noting instead that O'Keefe stated he "was out to make a point and to damage ACORN".</b><sup id="cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CA_AG_Report-9" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">[9</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CA_AG_Report-9" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;The report said, "The video releases were heavily edited to feature only the worst or most inappropriate statements of the various ACORN employees and to omit some of the most salient statements by O'Keefe and Giles. Each of the ACORN employees recorded in California was a low level employee whose job was to help the needy individuals who walked in the door seeking assistance. Giles and O'Keefe lied to engender compassion, but then edited their statements from the released videos.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"</span><sup id="cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-5" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CA_AG_Report-9" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[9]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">For instance, one much-publicized recording had shown O'Keefe and Giles at the San Diego office. They show a worker purportedly seeking information from a contact in Mexico to help them smuggle underage girls from Mexico into the United States to work as prostitutes. <b>The video did not show that the worker's 'contact' in Mexico was a police official.</b> The employee collected as much specific information from Giles and O'Keefe as possible during their visit. The worker then contacted Mexican police to warn them of the plot.</span><sup id="cite_ref-Maddow_107-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Maddow-107" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[107]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The AG Office's report stated, "ACORN was not the criminal enterprise described by O'Keefe in his 'Chaos for Glory' statement – it did not receive billions in federal funds and did not control elections. ACORN is, however, disorganized and its operations were far from transparent, leaving it vulnerable to allegations of illegal activity and misuse of funds."<sup id="cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-6" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CA_AG_Report-9" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[9]</a></sup>&nbsp;The report also noted that despite O'Keefe's appearing in the released videos in "stereotypical 1970s pimp garb", in his actual taped sessions with ACORN workers, he was dressed in a shirt and tie, presented himself as a law student, and said he planned to use the prostitution proceeds to run for Congress, and never claimed he was a pimp.<sup id="cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-7" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CA_AG_Report-9" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">[9]</a></sup></span></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The report of the Attorney General Office concluded, "Even if O'Keefe and Giles had truly intended to break the law, there is no evidence that any of the ACORN employees had the intent to aid and abet such criminal conduct or agreed to join in that illegal conduct.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">" While faulting a few of the recorded ACORN members for "terrible judgment and highly inappropriate behavior",</span><sup id="cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-8" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CA_AG_Report-9" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[9]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;The investigation report also concluded that "ACORN could determine that the conduct of its employees in California was inappropriate, but that is an employment matter, which does not rise to the level of a law enforcement or governmental concern", and determined that the employees did not commit prosecutable crimes in California. Regarding this contrast between the publicity related to the videos and what actually transpired, Attorney General Brown stated, "The evidence illustrates that things are not always as partisan zealots portray them through highly selective editing of reality. Sometimes a fuller truth is found on the cutting room floor."</span><sup id="cite_ref-CA_AG_Release_12-2" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CA_AG_Release-12" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[12]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><h3 style="background: none; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: none; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="Investigation_by_the_U.S.Government_Accountability_Office">Investigation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office</span></font></font></font></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">On June 14, 2010, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its findings on ACORN, by then disbanded. It said that there was<b> no evidence that the group, or any of its related organizations, mishandled any of the $40 million in federal money that they had received in recent years</b></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-cnn.com_14-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-cnn.com-14" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[14]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-108" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-108" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[108]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><h2 style="background: none; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span class="mw-headline" id="Media_controversy" style="">Media controversy</span></font></font></font></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" size="4"><b>The right-wing media complained about alleged media bias</b> throughout the weeks as the ACORN video controversy developed.<sup id="cite_ref-109" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-109" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[109]</a></sup>&nbsp;For instance, on September 15,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joshua_Rhett_Miller&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Joshua Rhett Miller (page does not exist)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Joshua Rhett Miller</a>&nbsp;of Fox News accused the "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainstream_media" title="Mainstream media" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">mainstream media</a>" of purposefully ignoring the story, and said that it was favoring the political left.<sup id="cite_ref-nyt20090926_29-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-nyt20090926-29" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[29]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-ReferenceA_110-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-ReferenceA-110" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[110]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-news.aol.com_111-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-news.aol.com-111" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[111]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-112" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-112" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[112]</a></sup>&nbsp;</font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" size="4">Andrew <b>Breitbart wrote in an article in&nbsp;<i>The Washington Times</i>&nbsp;that he had counseled Giles and O'Keefe to "... offer Fox News the full footage of each video before each was released".<sup id="cite_ref-Breitbart_113-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Breitbart-113" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[113]</a></sup>&nbsp;Breitbart said he developed a strategy to counter such presumed&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_bias_in_the_United_States" title="Media bias in the United States" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">liberal media bias</a>&nbsp;by courting the Fox News Corporation: </b>"We had to devise a plan that would force the [other news] media to see the evidence before they had enough time to destroy these two idealistic 20-something truth seekers."<sup id="cite_ref-Breitbart_113-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Breitbart-113" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[113]</a></sup>&nbsp;<b>Giles interviewed exclusively with Fox commentator&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Beck" title="Glenn Beck" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Glenn Beck</a>&nbsp;on the day of the first video's release.</b></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" size="4"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN" title="CNN" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">CNN</a>&nbsp;began coverage of the story as early as September 9.<sup id="cite_ref-news.turner.com_114-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-news.turner.com-114" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[114]</a></sup>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBS" title="CBS" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">CBS</a>&nbsp;began to cover the story on September 11,<sup id="cite_ref-115" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-115" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[115]</a></sup>&nbsp;the day after the story aired on Fox News.<sup id="cite_ref-116" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-116" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[116]</a></sup>Breitbart and reporters of Fox News stayed on message, complaining that the "mainstream media" did not respond promptly or cover the story in sufficient depth.<sup id="cite_ref-ReferenceA_110-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-ReferenceA-110" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[110]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-news.aol.com_111-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-news.aol.com-111" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[111]</a></sup>&nbsp;On September 11, 2009,<b>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Beck" title="Glenn Beck" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Glenn Beck</a>&nbsp;was reported to have said, "FOX has had 133 reports on it, CNN, 90, MSNBC, 10. How's that possible? Hey, ABC, how's it working out for you with two?</b>"<sup id="cite_ref-117" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-117" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">[117]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Breitbart and O'Keefe on September 11 announced that<b> O'Keefe would not agree to be interviewed by CNN staff</b>.<sup id="cite_ref-118" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-118" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[118]</a></sup>&nbsp;They said that CNN favored ACORN in its coverage. But, CNN had reported on ACORN-related issues of alleged voter registration fraud (which were not substantiated).<sup id="cite_ref-119" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-119" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[119]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-120" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-120" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[120]</a></sup>&nbsp;O'Keefe said he felt CNN's early coverage had been slanted in favor of ACORN, because CNN had interviewed both ACORN staff members and defenders</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-BigGov110909_121-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-BigGov110909-121" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[121]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" size="4">FOX News said that, as late as September 15, the ABC anchor&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Gibson" class="mw-redirect" title="Charlie Gibson" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Charlie Gibson</a>&nbsp;was unfamiliar with the story.<sup id="cite_ref-122" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-122" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[122]</a></sup>&nbsp;It did not report that ABC's&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Tapper" title="Jake Tapper" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Jake Tapper</a>&nbsp;had been covering the issue since September 11.<sup id="cite_ref-123" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-123" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[123]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-124" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-124" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[124]</a></sup>&nbsp;In a September 15 interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Hannity" title="Sean Hannity" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Sean Hannity</a>&nbsp;of FOX News, Breitbart said that O'Keefe and Giles "... have been impugned in the media".<sup id="cite_ref-foxnews.com_125-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-foxnews.com-125" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[125]</a></sup>&nbsp;Hannity said they had been "excoriated".<sup id="cite_ref-foxnews.com_125-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-foxnews.com-125" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">[125]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">On September 17, 2009, Turner.com posted a list of all CNN transcripts covering the ACORN scandal, from the day the story was first released.</span><sup id="cite_ref-news.turner.com_114-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-news.turner.com-114" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[114]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;The transcripts showed there was </span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">no evidence that Giles or O'Keefe had been "impugned" or "excoriated" by news commentators</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-126" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-126" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[126]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-127" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-127" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[127]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-128" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-128" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[128]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-129" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-129" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[129]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-transcripts.cnn.com_130-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-transcripts.cnn.com-130" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[130]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;The listed transcripts include extensive, objective coverage and discussion by CNN reporters&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbie_Boudreau" title="Abbie Boudreau" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">Abbie Boudreau</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_Blitzer" title="Wolf Blitzer" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Wolf Blitzer</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_Crowley" title="Candy Crowley" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Candy Crowley</a>, and others.<sup id="cite_ref-transcripts.cnn.com_130-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-transcripts.cnn.com-130" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[130]</a></sup>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Dobbs" title="Lou Dobbs" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Lou Dobbs</a>&nbsp;(then still at CNN) </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">had offered an impassioned statement in support of Giles and O'Keefe on September 10, the day on which the videos were first aired.</span><sup id="cite_ref-Dobbs100909_131-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Dobbs100909-131" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[131]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The journalist <b>Mark Bowden of&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Atlantic" title="The Atlantic" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The Atlantic</a></i>&nbsp;</b>said about the case in an interview September 18, 2009, with Alexandra Fenwick of the&nbsp;<i>Columbia Journalism Review,</i>&nbsp;"The young woman and filmmaker who visited those ACORN offices were political activists, and they put together what is, in essence, a very effective political protest against an organization they would like to damage. And they've done a very effective job of doing that. But I think they're clearly not journalists."<sup id="cite_ref-Fenwick_132-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Fenwick-132" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[132]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The next spring, on March 20, 2010,&nbsp;<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Hoyt" title="Clark Hoyt" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Clark Hoyt</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ombudsman" title="Ombudsman" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">public editor</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">The New York Times</a></i>, wrote an op-ed column conceding some errors in the paper's reporting.</b></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">ACORN and its supporters had complained "that&nbsp;<i style="">The Times</i>&nbsp;got the story wrong and, by failing to correct it, has played into the hands of a campaign that has pushed the group near extinction."&nbsp;</span></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Hoyt acknowledged that it was by then known that it was not likely that O'Keefe went into the ACORN offices dressed as a pimp, as at the beginning and end of most of the videos. O'Keefe had presented himself "as a clean-cut young man, sometimes a college student, trying to rescue his girlfriend and under-age girls from an abusive pimp".<sup id="cite_ref-Hoyt_133-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Hoyt-133" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[133]</a></sup>&nbsp;But, Hoyt wrote, "ACORN's supporters appear to hope that the whole story will fall apart over the issue of what O'Keefe wore: if that was wrong, everything else must be wrong. The record does not support them. If O'Keefe did not dress as a pimp, he clearly presented himself as one: a fellow trying to set up a woman — sometimes along with under-age girls — in a house where they would work as prostitutes</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">."</span><sup id="cite_ref-Hoyt_133-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Hoyt-133" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[133]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">His article appeared before the release on April 1, 2010, of the California AG Report, which found that O'Keefe's videos had all been heavily edited to misrepresent the ACORN workers and present them in the worst possible light. The pair had set up the workers rather than doing investigative journalism.<sup id="cite_ref-CA_AG_Release_12-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CA_AG_Release-12" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[12]</a></sup>&nbsp;Investigations by the California AG, Brooklyn U.S. Attorney and the U.S. GAO found that ACORN workers had not participated in criminal activities.</font></font></font></p><h2 style="background: none; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="Criticisms_of_the_undercover_videos">Criticisms of the undercover videos</span></font></font></font></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In September 2009, before the investigations revealed the selective and heavy editing of the videos, Alexandra Fenwick of the</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b style="">&nbsp;</b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Journalism_Review" title="Columbia Journalism Review" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;"><b style="">Columbia Journalism Review</b></a></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>&nbsp;described the video ensemble as a politically motivated piece that lacked context and did not present accurate information. </b>She characterized the work as raw information instead of journalism. She said some elements of the ACORN videos seemed "shadows of journalism's muckraking past" and were commendable.</span><sup id="cite_ref-CJR1_134-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-CJR1-134" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[134]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;The videos were criticized by </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">MSNBC's&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norah_O%27Donnell" title="Norah O'Donnell" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration: none;">Norah O'Donnell</a>,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> who suggested the use of hidden cameras was a form of entrapment.</span></font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Post" class="mw-redirect" title="Washington Post" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Washington Post</a></i>&nbsp;staff writers&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Darryl_Fears&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Darryl Fears (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Darryl Fears</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Leonnig" class="mw-redirect" title="Carol Leonnig" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Carol Leonnig</a>&nbsp;wrote that</font></font></font></p><blockquote style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); overflow: hidden; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px 40px;"><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>"Giles and O'Keefe have been criticized for accuracy problems. </b>Their videos include the oft-repeated conservative claim that ACORN is expected to get up to $8.5 billion in government funds. But that's a bold exaggeration, as it includes $3 billion in stimulus funds set aside for revitalization efforts nationwide, and $5.5 billion in federal community development grants."</font></font></font></p></blockquote><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The more than <b>$8 billion number was based on the false assumption that ACORN would apply for and win every project and grant in the country, and in fact ACORN did not apply for any of the stimulus funds.</b></span><sup id="cite_ref-FearsLeonnig_135-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-FearsLeonnig-135" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[135]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;Leonnig also observed that "the videos, in some cases, left out what I would call some&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exculpatory_evidence" title="Exculpatory evidence" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">exculpatory</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;material ... for example, in one, a San Berna[r]dino employee at ACORN explains that there is no way ACORN would support what the couple were proposing, and she asks if they are putting her on,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candid_Camera" title="Candid Camera" style="background: none; text-decoration: none;">candid-camera</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;style."</span><sup id="cite_ref-Leonnig1_136-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-Leonnig1-136" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[136]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">During a September 14 television appearance on FOX, O'Keefe appeared dressed in a fur coat, sunglasses, and holding a cane. The host announced "... [O'Keefe] is dressed exactly in the same outfit that he wore to these ACORN offices up and down the eastern seaboard." He asked, "[I]s that what you think a pimp looks like?" O'Keefe answered yes. Within weeks, political journalist Mike Stark revealed that <b>O'Keefe did not wear such clothing to the ACORN offices, where he wore subdued clothing and a tie, and in one instance posed as a candidate for Congress</b>.<sup id="cite_ref-HuffPOStark_137-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-HuffPOStark-137" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[137]</a></sup>&nbsp;Stark said, "If they really wanted the truth out there, why do they need to edit these tapes in the first place? Why aren't the unedited videos already in the public domain?"</span><sup id="cite_ref-HuffPOStark_137-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-HuffPOStark-137" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[137]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes cleared ACORN employees in the local office of criminal wrongdoing on March 1, 2010, after a five-month investigation. A law enforcement source said, "They edited the tape to meet their agenda", the&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_News(New_York)" class="mw-redirect" title="Daily News (New York)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Daily News</a></i>&nbsp;quoted.<sup id="cite_ref-ABAJournal_138-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-ABAJournal-138" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[138]</a></sup>&nbsp;The ACORN lawyer Arthur Schwartz commented that ACORN was "gratified that the DA has concluded something we knew all along". He said that O'Keefe and Giles had "used subterfuge to convince Congress and the media to vilify an organization that didn't deserve it".<sup id="cite_ref-ABAJournal_138-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_note-ABAJournal-138" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[138]</a></sup></font></font></font></p><h2 style="background: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></font></font></font></h2><div class="reflist references-column-width" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.5em; column-width: 30em; list-style-type: decimal;"><ol class="references" style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 3.2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: inherit;"><li id="cite_note-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.proskauer.com/files/uploads/report2.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; background: url(" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">An Independent Governance Assessment of ACORN</a>, December 7, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/12/acorn_workers_cleared_of_illeg.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Workers Cleared Of Illegality By Outside Probe"</a></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-3" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://correspondents.theatlantic.com/wendy_kaminer/2009/12/acorn_and_the_ethics_of_leadership.php" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN and the Ethics of Leadership"</a>,&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Monthly" class="mw-redirect" title="Atlantic Monthly" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Atlantic Monthly</a></i>, December 8, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-4" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1654:npq-on-acorn-investigation-results&catid=58:npq-in-the-news&Itemid=54" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">ACORN Investigation Results</a>&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20091213181344/http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1654:npq-on-acorn-investigation-results&catid=58:npq-in-the-news&Itemid=54" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Archived</a>&nbsp;December 13, 2009, at the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Wayback Machine</a>.,&nbsp;<i>The Nonprofit Quarterly</i></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-nymag1-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-nymag1_5-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-nymag1_5-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/03/damaging_brooklyn_acorn_sting.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Damaging Brooklyn ACORN Sting Video Ruled 'Heavily Edited' - No Charges to Be Filed",</a>&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Magazine" class="mw-redirect" title="New York Magazine" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">New York Magazine</a></i>; March 2, 2010</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-NYT2010Newman-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-NYT2010Newman_6-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-NYT2010Newman_6-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Newman, Andrew (2010-03-01).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/nyregion/02acorn.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Advice to Fake Pimp Was No Crime, Prosecutor Says"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The New York Times</a></i>.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100325060338/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/nyregion/02acorn.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Archived</a>&nbsp;from the original on 25 March 2010<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2010-03-07</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Advice+to+Fake+Pimp+Was+No+Crime%2C+Prosecutor+Says&rft.aufirst=Andrew&rft.aulast=Newman&rft.date=2010-03-01&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2010%2F03%2F02%2Fnyregion%2F02acorn.html&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-Salon2010Madden-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Salon2010Madden_7-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Salon2010Madden_7-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Salon2010Madden_7-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Madde, Mike (2010-03-01).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.salon.com/2010/03/01/acorn_cleared/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Brooklyn prosecutors clear local ACORN office"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salon.com" class="mw-redirect" title="Salon.com" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Salon.com</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2010-03-07</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Brooklyn+prosecutors+clear+local+ACORN+office&rft.aufirst=Mike&rft.aulast=Madde&rft.date=2010-03-01&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.salon.com%2F2010%2F03%2F01%2Facorn_cleared%2F&rft.jtitle=Salon.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-FOX-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-FOX_8-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-FOX_8-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,551533,00.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"House Votes to Strip Funding for ACORN"</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News_Channel" class="mw-redirect" title="Fox News Channel" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Fox News</a>. 2009-09-17<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-17</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=House+Votes+to+Strip+Funding+for+ACORN&rft.date=2009-09-17&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fstory%2F0%2C2933%2C551533%2C00.html&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-CA_AG_Report-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-3" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-4" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-5" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-6" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>g</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-7" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>h</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-CA_AG_Report_9-8" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>i</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://ag.ca.gov/cms_attachments/press/pdfs/n1888_acorn_report.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; background: url(" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">"Report of the Attorney General on the Activities of Acorn"</a>&nbsp;(PDF). April 1, 2010.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.btitle=Report+of+the+Attorney+General+on+the+Activities+of+Acorn&rft.date=2010-04-01&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fag.ca.gov%2Fcms_attachments%2Fpress%2Fpdfs%2Fn1888_acorn_report.pdf&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-10" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/01/calif-ag-determines-acorn-broke-criminal-laws/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"California AG Determines ACORN Broke No Criminal Laws"</a>, FOX News; April 1, 2010</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-11" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-11" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/29/okeefe.cnn.prank/index.html?hpt=T2" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Fake pimp from ACORN videos tries to 'punk' CNN correspondent"</a>, CNN; September 29, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-CA_AG_Release-12" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-CA_AG_Release_12-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-CA_AG_Release_12-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-CA_AG_Release_12-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-CA_AG_Release_12-3" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/release.php?id=1888&" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Brown Releases Report Detailing a Litany of Problems with ACORN, But No Criminality"</a>.&nbsp;<i>California Office of Attorney General</i>. 2010-04-01.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100403065738/http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/release.php?id=1888" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Archived</a>&nbsp;from the original on 3 April 2010<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2010-04-03</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Brown+Releases+Report+Detailing+a+Litany+of+Problems+with+ACORN%2C+But+No+Criminality&rft.date=2010-04-01&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fag.ca.gov%2Fnewsalerts%2Frelease.php%3Fid%3D1888%26&rft.jtitle=California+Office+of+Attorney+General&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-13" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-13" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-atlas/acorn-vindicated-of-wrong_b_612265.html?page=3&show_comment_id=50563828" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Vindicated of Wrongdoing by the Congressional Watchdog Office"</a>, by John Atlas,&nbsp;<i>Huffington Post</i>; June 15, 2010</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-cnn.com-14" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-cnn.com_14-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-cnn.com_14-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/14/congress.acorn/index.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Preliminary report clears ACORN on funds"</a>.&nbsp;<i>CNN</i>. 2010-06-15.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Preliminary+report+clears+ACORN+on+funds&rft.date=2010-06-15&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2010%2FPOLITICS%2F06%2F14%2Fcongress.acorn%2Findex.html&rft.jtitle=CNN&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-15" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-15" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-acorn-bankruptcy-20101103,0,549666.story" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">ACORN filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy</a>;&nbsp;<i>Los Angeles Times</i>; November 2, 2010</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-16" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-16" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7344260" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN disbanding because of money woes, scandal"</a>. Associated Press.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+disbanding+because+of+money+woes%2C+scandal&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fabclocal.go.com%2Fwtvd%2Fstory%3Fsection%3Dnews%2Flocal%26id%3D7344260&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-associated-17" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-associated_17-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-associated_17-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-associated_17-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Taylor, Andrew (September 14, 2009).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009865345_apuscongressacorn.html?syndication=rss" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Senate votes to deny funds to ACORN"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seattle_Times" title="The Seattle Times" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The Seattle Times</a></i>.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press" title="Associated Press" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Associated Press</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">September 20,</span>&nbsp;2009</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Senate+votes+to+deny+funds+to+ACORN&rft.aufirst=Andrew&rft.aulast=Taylor&rft.date=2009-09-14&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fseattletimes.nwsource.com%2Fhtml%2Fpolitics%2F2009865345_apuscongressacorn.html%3Fsyndication%3Drss&rft.jtitle=The+Seattle+Times&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-times-acorn-lorber-18" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-times-acorn-lorber_18-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-times-acorn-lorber_18-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Lorber, Janie (December 11, 2009).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/us/politics/12acorn.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"House Ban on Acorn Grants Is Ruled Unconstitutional"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The New York Times</a></i>. p.&nbsp;A12<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">February 1,</span>&nbsp;2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=House+Ban+on+Acorn+Grants+Is+Ruled+Unconstitutional&rft.aufirst=Janie&rft.aulast=Lorber&rft.date=2009-12-11&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2009%2F12%2F12%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2F12acorn.html&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.pages=A12&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-AP-08-13-10-19" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-AP-08-13-10_19-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-AP-08-13-10_19-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text">Hays, Tom.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/nation-world-news/federal-appeals-court-in-ny-rules-against-acorn-859385.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Associated Press, "New York Federal Appeals Court rules against ACORN"</a>, carried at&nbsp;<i>Dayton Daily News,</i>&nbsp;August 13, 2010</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-20" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-20" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.politico.com/click/stories/0911/citizen_journalists_path_to_celebrity_paved_with_ups_downs.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data" /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politico(newspaper)" class="mw-redirect" title="Politico (newspaper)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Politico</a>&nbsp;"Citizen Journalists' Path to Celebrity Paved With Ups, Downs" by Erika Lovely, 11-30-2009; retrieved 12-02-2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-WAPost-21" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-WAPost_21-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/17/AR2009091704805_2.html?sid=ST2011020203536" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Darryl Fears and Carol D. Leonnig, "Duo in ACORN Videos Say Effort Was Independent"</a>,&nbsp;<i>The Washington Post</i>, 18 September 2009, accessed 28 July 2011</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-Phone-22" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Phone_22-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Phone_22-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.factcheck.org/2014/10/no-proof-of-lying/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"No Proof of Lying"</a>, October 15, 2014; FactCheck - The Wire</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-nyt-55-23" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-nyt-55_23-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/james_okeefe/index.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"James O'Keefe (Overview)"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The New York Times</a></i>. January 26, 2010<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">January 29,</span>&nbsp;2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=James+O%27Keefe+%28Overview%29&rft.date=2010-01-26&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Ftopics.nytimes.com%2Ftop%2Freference%2Ftimestopics%2Fpeople%2Fo%2Fjames_okeefe%2Findex.html&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-npr-24" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-npr_24-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Elliott, Debbie (February 4, 2010).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123380169" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Debate Over Activists' Actions In Senator's Office"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NPR" title="NPR" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">NPR</a></i>. npr.org<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">February 4,</span>&nbsp;2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Debate+Over+Activists%27+Actions+In+Senator%27s+Office&rft.aufirst=Debbie&rft.aulast=Elliott&rft.date=2010-02-04&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Ftemplates%2Fstory%2Fstory.php%3FstoryId%3D123380169&rft.jtitle=NPR&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-los_angeles_times-25" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-los_angeles_times_25-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/19/nation/na-acorn-student19" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Pimp in ACORN video shares story"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Times" title="Los Angeles Times" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Los Angeles Times</a></i>. January 29, 2010<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">January 29,</span>&nbsp;2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Pimp+in+ACORN+video+shares+story&rft.date=2010-01-29&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Farticles.latimes.com%2F2009%2Fsep%2F19%2Fnation%2Fna-acorn-student19&rft.jtitle=Los+Angeles+Times&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-Solzhenitsyn-26" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Solzhenitsyn_26-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Besse, Gail (March 31, 2010).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ncregister.com/register_exclusives/changing_the_world_by_the_time_hes_30" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Changing the World by the Time He's 30"</a>.&nbsp;<i>National Catholic Register</i>.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100404063553/http://www.ncregister.com/register_exclusives/changing_the_world_by_the_time_hes_30" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Archived</a>&nbsp;from the original on 4 April 2010<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">April 12,</span>&nbsp;2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Changing+the+World+by+the+Time+He%27s+30&rft.aufirst=Gail&rft.aulast=Besse&rft.date=2010-03-31&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncregister.com%2Fregister_exclusives%2Fchanging_the_world_by_the_time_hes_30&rft.jtitle=National+Catholic+Register&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-TheLens-27" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-TheLens_27-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-TheLens_27-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-TheLens_27-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Mock, Brentin (January 27, 2010).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://thelensnola.org/2010/01/27/okeefe-neither-pimp-nor-journalist" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"O'Keefe: Neither Pimp nor Journalist"</a>.&nbsp;<i>The Lens</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">February 18,</span>&nbsp;2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=O%27Keefe%3A+Neither+Pimp+nor+Journalist&rft.aufirst=Brentin&rft.aulast=Mock&rft.date=2010-01-27&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fthelensnola.org%2F2010%2F01%2F27%2Fokeefe-neither-pimp-nor-journalist&rft.jtitle=The+Lens&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-autogenerated1-28" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-autogenerated1_28-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Fessler, Pam (September 17, 2009).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112904370" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Grapples With Fallout Of Damaging Videos"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Public_Radio" class="mw-redirect" title="National Public Radio" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">National Public Radio</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">September 20,</span>&nbsp;2009</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+Grapples+With+Fallout+Of+Damaging+Videos&rft.aufirst=Pam&rft.aulast=Fessler&rft.date=2009-09-17&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Ftemplates%2Fstory%2Fstory.php%3FstoryId%3D112904370&rft.jtitle=National+Public+Radio&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-nyt20090926-29" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-nyt20090926_29-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-nyt20090926_29-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Hoyt, Clark (2009-09-26).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/opinion/27pubed.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Tuning In Too Late"</a>.&nbsp;<i>The New York Times</i>.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110513203234/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/opinion/27pubed.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Archived</a>&nbsp;from the original on May 13, 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-28</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Tuning+In+Too+Late&rft.aufirst=Clark&rft.aulast=Hoyt&rft.date=2009-09-26&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2009%2F09%2F27%2Fopinion%2F27pubed.html&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-30" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-30" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.mediaite.com/online/could-andrew-breitbart-become-the-rights-arianna-huffington" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Why Big Government Could Make Andrew Breitbart the Right's Huffington"</a></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-31" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-31" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.npr.org/ombudsman/2009/09/the_acorn_videos_did_npr_ignor.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"The ACORN Videos: Did NPR Ignore Them?"</a></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-baltimore-32" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-baltimore_32-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/09/10/chaos-for-glory/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Chaos for Glory: My Time With ACORN</a>&nbsp;BigGovernment.com; September 10, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-33" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-33" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/09/10/complete-acorn-baltimore-prostitution-investigation-transcript/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Complete ACORN Baltimore Child Prostitution Investigation Transcript</a>BigGovernment.com; September 10, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-washington-34" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-washington_34-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-washington_34-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/09/11/washington-dc-acorn-video-child-prostitution-investigation/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Washington, DC ACORN Video: Child Prostitution Investigation</a>BigGovernment.com; September 11, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-35" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-35" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/09/14/acorn-video-prostitution-scandal-in-washington-dc/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">ACORN Video: Prostitution Scandal in Washington, DC</a>&nbsp;BigGovernment.com; September 11, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-newyork-36" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-newyork_36-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-newyork_36-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/09/14/acorn-video-prostitution-scandal-in-new-york-ny/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">ACORN Video: Prostitution Scandal in New York, NY</a>&nbsp;BigGovernment.com; September 14, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-37" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-37" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11298085/New-York-ACORN-Transcript" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">New York ACORN Transcript</a></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-sanbernardino-38" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-sanbernardino_38-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-sanbernardino_38-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/09/15/acorn-prostitution-scandal-california-here-we-come/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">ACORN Prostitution Scandal: California Here We Come!</a>&nbsp;BigGovernment.com; September 15, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-39" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-39" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11437661/Full-ACORN-San-Bernadino-Transcript" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Full Transcript: ACORN San Bernardino</a></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-sandiego-40" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-sandiego_40-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-sandiego_40-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/09/17/acorn-video-prostitution-scandal-in-san-diego-ca/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">ACORN Video: Prostitution Scandal in San Diego, CA</a>&nbsp;BigGovernment.com; September 17, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-41" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-41" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/09/19/full-transcript-acorn-prostitution-scandal-san-diego-part-i/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Full Transcript: ACORN Prostitution Scandal, San Diego, Part I</a>BigGovernment.com; September 19, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-42" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-42" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11603119/San_Diego_2" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Full Transcript: ACORN Prostitution Scandal, San Diego, Part I</a></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-43" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-43" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">Baltimore ACORN Transcript, pp. 18-19</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-44" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-44" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">Baltimore ACORN Transcript, p. 19</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-45" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-45" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">Baltimore ACORN Transcript, p. 20</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-46" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-46" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">Baltimore ACORN Transcript, p. 22</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-47" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-47" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">Baltimore ACORN Transcript, pp. 20-21</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-nytimesvideo-48" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-nytimesvideo_48-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-nytimesvideo_48-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/09/10/us/AP-US-ACORN-Hidden-Camera.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Fires 2 After Hidden-Camera Footage Aired"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The New York Times</a></i>.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press" title="Associated Press" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Associated Press</a>. 2009-09-10<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-10</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+Fires+2+After+Hidden-Camera+Footage+Aired&rft.date=2009-09-10&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Faponline%2F2009%2F09%2F10%2Fus%2FAP-US-ACORN-Hidden-Camera.html&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988"><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="line-height: 1;"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span title="&nbsp;Dead link since May 2010">dead link</span></a></i>]</span></sup></span></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-bmoresunvideo-49" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-bmoresunvideo_49-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-bmoresunvideo_49-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Justin Fenton (2009-09-11).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.ci.acorn11sep11,0,7738162.story" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Video prompts ACORN firings"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baltimore_Sun" title="The Baltimore Sun" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The Baltimore Sun</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-11</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Video+prompts+ACORN+firings&rft.au=Justin+Fenton&rft.date=2009-09-11&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baltimoresun.com%2Fnews%2Fmaryland%2Fbaltimore-city%2Fbal-md.ci.acorn11sep11%2C0%2C7738162.story&rft.jtitle=The+Baltimore+Sun&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-50" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-50" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">Washington DC ACORN Transcript, p. 7</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-51" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-51" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">Washington DC ACORN Transcript, p. 9</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-DCACORN-52" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-DCACORN_52-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-DCACORN_52-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/Pimp-Sting-Taints-ACORN-Obama-Supporters-59069402.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"'Pimp Sting' Taints ACORN, Obama Supporters"</a>, , September 11, 2010,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC_News" title="NBC News" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">NBC News</a></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-53" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-53" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">Washington DC ACORN Transcript, p. 15</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-54" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-54" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">Brooklyn ACORN Transcript, p. 17</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-55" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-55" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">Brooklyn ACORN Transcript, p. 23</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-56" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-56" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">Brooklyn ACORN Transcript, p. 22</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-NYPACORN-57" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-NYPACORN_57-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-NYPACORN_57-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-NYPACORN_57-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-NYPACORN_57-3" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/item_Js4YPEcsCcxLZhAEehLhmL/1" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"'Pimp & hooker' catch B'klyn staff"</a>&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Post" title="New York Post" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">New York Post</a></i>; September 14, 2010</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-FoxKaelke-58" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-FoxKaelke_58-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-FoxKaelke_58-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2009/09/16/fourth-videotape-reveals-acorn-advising-pimp-prostitute-california/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Fourth Videotape Reveals ACORN Advising 'Pimp', 'Prostitute' in California</a>, September 16, 2010,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News" title="Fox News" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Fox News</a></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-59" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-59" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/09/blowback-in-the-acorn-wars.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Blowback in the ACORN Wars"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_News" title="ABC News" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">ABC News</a></i>. 2009-09-16.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090918065611/http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/09/blowback-in-the-acorn-wars.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Archived</a>&nbsp;from the original on 18 September 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Blowback+in+the+ACORN+Wars&rft.date=2009-09-16&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.abcnews.com%2Fpoliticalpunch%2F2009%2F09%2Fblowback-in-the-acorn-wars.html&rft.jtitle=ABC+News&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-60" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-60" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/09/16/police-acorn-employees-murder-confession-not-factual" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Police: ACORN Employee's Murder Confession Not 'Factual<span style="padding-right: 0.2em;">'</span>"</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_Daily" title="Politics Daily" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Politics Daily</a>. 2009-09-16<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Police%3A+ACORN+Employee%27s+Murder+Confession+Not+%27Factual%27&rft.date=2009-09-16&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politicsdaily.com%2F2009%2F09%2F16%2Fpolice-acorn-employees-murder-confession-not-factual&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-61" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-61" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">FOX, September 16, 2009,&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,550562,00.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Fourth Videotape Reveals ACORN Advising 'Pimp', 'Prostitute' in California</a></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-WSJKaelke-62" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-WSJKaelke_62-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204518504574416833436798004.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Obama and ACORN</a>, September 16, 2010;&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wall_Street_Journal" title="The Wall Street Journal" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The Wall Street Journal</a></i>; James Taranto</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-63" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-63" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0909/17/ldt.01.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">TRANSCRIPTS</a>&nbsp;CNN; September 17, 2009; Lou Dobbs Tonight</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-64" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-64" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">September 22, 2009, FOX,&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/sep/17/bn17acornside-newser/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">ACORN Worker fired over video sting</a></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-65" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-65" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0407/maddow-raw-tapes-show-okeefe-lied" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Maddow: "Raw footage reveals O'Keefe lied about ACORN tapes",</a>&nbsp;<i>Rawstory</i>; April 7, 2010</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-66" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-66" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">September 22, 2009, FOX,&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,553423,00.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Worker in Video Reported Duo to Police"</a></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-67" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-67" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,553423,00.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Worker in Video Reported Duo to Police"</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News" title="Fox News" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Fox News</a>. 2009-09-22<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-22</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+Worker+in+Video+Reported+Duo+to+Police&rft.date=2009-09-22&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fstory%2F0%2C2933%2C553423%2C00.html&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-68" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-68" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text">10 News,&nbsp;<i>San Diego News</i>, September 17, 2009,&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.10news.com/news/20975217/detail.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Worker Fired After Appearance In Undercover Video"</a></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-69" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-69" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Daniel Tencer (2010-07-10).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/07/acorn-employee-sues-okeefe-giles/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Former ACORN employee sues O'Keefe and Giles"</a>. The Raw Story<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2012-03-12</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.au=Daniel+Tencer&rft.btitle=Former+ACORN+employee+sues+O%99Keefe+and+Giles&rft.date=2010-07-10&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rawstory.com%2Frs%2F2010%2F07%2Facorn-employee-sues-okeefe-giles%2F&rft.pub=The+Raw+Story&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-70" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-70" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://sdcitybeat.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/okeefe111.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; background: url(" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">"City Beat"</a>, San Diego</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-71" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-71" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-10785-hannah-giles-settles.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Hannah Giles settles ACORN suit"</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_CityBeat" class="mw-redirect" title="San Diego CityBeat" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">San Diego CityBeat</a>. July 25, 2012<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2012-10-15</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Hannah+Giles+settles+ACORN+suit&rft.date=2012-07-25&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sdcitybeat.com%2Fsandiego%2Farticle-10785-hannah-giles-settles.html&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-Fox_News_Sunday-72" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Fox_News_Sunday_72-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,552841,00.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Bertha Lewis and Rep. Darrell Issa on 'FNS<span style="padding-right: 0.2em;">'</span>"</a>.&nbsp;<i>Fox News Sunday</i>. September 20, 2009.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Bertha+Lewis+and+Rep.+Darrell+Issa+on+%27FNS%27&rft.date=2009-09-20&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fstory%2F0%2C2933%2C552841%2C00.html&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-73" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-73" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090924074947/https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hA9b96qgu9MG_331xFUGcYvhOcLAD9ANDM980" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN staff taped with woman posing as prostitute"</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press" title="Associated Press" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Associated Press</a>. 2009-09-15. Archived from&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hA9b96qgu9MG_331xFUGcYvhOcLAD9ANDM980" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">the original</a>&nbsp;on September 24, 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-15</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+staff+taped+with+woman+posing+as+prostitute&rft.date=2009-09-15&rft.genre=article&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fhostednews%2Fap%2Farticle%2FALeqM5hA9b96qgu9MG_331xFUGcYvhOcLAD9ANDM980&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-74" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-74" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090916/pl_politico/27208" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"GOP seizes on ACORN funding"</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahoo_News" class="mw-redirect" title="Yahoo News" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Yahoo News</a>. 2009-09-16<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=GOP+seizes+on+ACORN+funding&rft.date=2009-09-16&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.yahoo.com%2Fs%2Fpolitico%2F20090916%2Fpl_politico%2F27208&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-75" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-75" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Falcone, Michael (2009-09-14).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27139.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN mulls suit against Fox News"</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politico(newspaper)" class="mw-redirect" title="Politico (newspaper)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Politico</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-14</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+mulls+suit+against+Fox+News&rft.aufirst=Michael&rft.aulast=Falcone&rft.date=2009-09-14&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com%2Fnews%2Fstories%2F0909%2F27139.html&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-76" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-76" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Mike Schuh (September 24, 2009).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://wjz.com/local/acorn.ag.website.2.1204379.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"APNewsBreak: ACORN Sues Filmmakers"</a>. Associated Press.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=APNewsBreak%3A+ACORN+Sues+Filmmakers&rft.au=Mike+Schuh&rft.date=2009-09-24&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwjz.com%2Flocal%2Facorn.ag.website.2.1204379.html&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-77" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-77" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/28218713/ACORN-v-O-Keefe-Docket" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">[1]</a>, Scribd; March 11, 2010 Docket note: disposed, lack of service</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-PressClub-78" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-PressClub_78-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-PressClub_78-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-PressClub_78-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-PressClub_78-3" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/21/AR2009102103284_pf.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Susan Kinzie, "Duo release another video of their meeting with ACORN worker; latest footage has audio of two conservatives but not of the staff member"</a>,&nbsp;<i>The Washington Post,</i>&nbsp;22 October 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-OntheRecord-79" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-OntheRecord_79-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-OntheRecord_79-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-OntheRecord_79-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text">Interview of&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Leonnig" class="mw-redirect" title="Carol Leonnig" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Carol Leonnig</a>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Van_Susteren" title="Greta Van Susteren" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Greta Van Susteren</a>,&nbsp;<i>On the Record with Greta Van Susteren</i>, October 21, 2009.</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-FoxNewsOct212009-80" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-FoxNewsOct212009_80-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-FoxNewsOct212009_80-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-FoxNewsOct212009_80-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,568830,00.html?test=latestnews" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Filmmakers Show Video of ACORN 'Sting' in Philadelphia</a>, Fox News, October 21, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-81" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-81" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://biggovernment.com/jokeefe/2009/11/19/the-la-story-part-iv-program-for-torture-victims/#more-34026" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">[2]</a>&nbsp;BigGovernment.com; September 11, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-bankruptcy-82" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-bankruptcy_82-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-bankruptcy_82-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-bankruptcy_82-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-bankruptcy_82-3" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Urbina, Ian (March 19, 2010).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/us/politics/20acorn.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Acorn on Brink of Bankruptcy, Officials Say"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The New York Times</a></i>.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100323024816/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/us/politics/20acorn.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Archived</a>&nbsp;from the original on 23 March 2010<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2010-03-20</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Acorn+on+Brink+of+Bankruptcy%2C+Officials+Say&rft.aufirst=Ian&rft.aulast=Urbina&rft.date=2010-03-19&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2010%2F03%2F20%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2F20acorn.html&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-83" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-83" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Smith, Ben (March 22, 2010).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0310/Acorn_folds.html?showall" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Folds"</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politico(newspaper)" class="mw-redirect" title="Politico (newspaper)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Politico</a>.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100325012201/http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0310/Acorn_folds.html?showall" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Archived</a>&nbsp;from the original on 25 March 2010<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2010-03-22</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+Folds&rft.aufirst=Ben&rft.aulast=Smith&rft.date=2010-03-22&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com%2Fblogs%2Fbensmith%2F0310%2FAcorn_folds.html%3Fshowall&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-AP_4-20-84" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-AP_4-20_84-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-AP_4-20_84-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-AP_4-20_84-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Larry Neumeister (2010-04-20).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/acorn_ceo_outside_court_we_re_on_4GSS71Xu53cYjETMhjatuN" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN CEO outside court: 'We're on life support<span style="padding-right: 0.2em;">'</span>"</a>. Associated Press.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+CEO+outside+court%3A+%27We%27re+on+life+support%27&rft.au=Larry+Neumeister&rft.date=2010-04-20&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nypost.com%2Fp%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Facorn_ceo_outside_court_we_re_on_4GSS71Xu53cYjETMhjatuN&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-pritchard-85" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-pritchard_85-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Pritchard, Justin (September 23, 2009).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2009929363_apusacornvideo.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"How the ACORN 'pimp and hooker' videos came to be"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Times" class="mw-redirect" title="Seattle Times" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Seattle Times</a></i>.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press" title="Associated Press" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Associated Press</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">September 25,</span>&nbsp;2009</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=How+the+ACORN+%27pimp+and+hooker%27+videos+came+to+be&rft.aufirst=Justin&rft.aulast=Pritchard&rft.date=2009-09-23&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fseattletimes.nwsource.com%2Fhtml%2Fnationworld%2F2009929363_apusacornvideo.html&rft.jtitle=Seattle+Times&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-attorney-86" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-attorney_86-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_McGreal" title="Chris McGreal" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">McGreal, Chris</a>&nbsp;(September 21, 2009).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/21/acorn-prostitution-videos" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Congress cuts funding to embattled anti-poverty group Acorn"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian" title="The Guardian" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The Guardian</a></i>. London<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">September 22,</span>&nbsp;2009</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Congress+cuts+funding+to+embattled+anti-poverty+group+Acorn&rft.aufirst=Chris&rft.aulast=McGreal&rft.date=2009-09-21&rft.genre=article&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2009%2Fsep%2F21%2Facorn-prostitution-videos&rft.jtitle=The+Guardian&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-obama-87" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-obama_87-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009906675_apusobamaacorn.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Obama favors investigation into ACORN's activities"</a>. Seattle Times.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press" title="Associated Press" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Associated Press</a>. September 20, 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">September 20,</span>&nbsp;2009</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Obama+favors+investigation+into+ACORN%27s+activities&rft.date=2009-09-20&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fseattletimes.nwsource.com%2Fhtml%2Fpolitics%2F2009906675_apusobamaacorn.html&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-wsjournal-88" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-wsjournal_88-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Sherman, Jake (September 12, 2009).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125271412822705239.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Census Bureau Cuts Its Ties With Acorn"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wall_Street_Journal" title="The Wall Street Journal" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The Wall Street Journal</a></i>. pp.&nbsp;A4.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090915173548/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125271412822705239.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Archived</a>&nbsp;from the original on 15 September 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">September 20,</span>&nbsp;2009</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Census+Bureau+Cuts+Its+Ties+With+Acorn&rft.aufirst=Jake&rft.aulast=Sherman&rft.date=2009-09-12&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB125271412822705239.html&rft.jtitle=The+Wall+Street+Journal&rft.pages=A4&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-89" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-89" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll718.xml" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Roll call 718"</a>. U.S. House of Representatives. September 17, 2009.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.btitle=Roll+call+718&rft.date=2009-09-17&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fclerk.house.gov%2Fevs%2F2009%2Froll718.xml&rft.pub=U.S.+House+of+Representatives&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-90" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-90" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR03571:%7C" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"HR 3571"</a>. Library of Congress<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">July 2,</span>&nbsp;2011</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.btitle=HR+3571&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fthomas.loc.gov%2Fcgi-bin%2Fbdquery%2Fz%3Fd111%3AHR03571%3A%7C&rft.pub=Library+of+Congress&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-91" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-91" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><i>Congressional Record</i>, 111th Congress, p.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?r111:1:./temp/_{r1117098Md:e289593:}" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">9699</a>.</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-THRUSH-92" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-THRUSH_92-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Thrush, Glenn (2009-09-25).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27565.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"CRS: ACORN ban may be unconstitutional"</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politico(newspaper)" class="mw-redirect" title="Politico (newspaper)" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Politico</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-10-25</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=CRS%3A+ACORN+ban+may+be+unconstitutional&rft.aufirst=Glenn&rft.aulast=Thrush&rft.date=2009-09-25&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com%2Fnews%2Fstories%2F0909%2F27565.html&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-93" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-93" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Wheaton, Sarah (2009-09-24).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/us/politics/24acorn.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Acorn Sues Over Video as I.R.S. Severs Ties"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The New York Times</a></i>.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110617141657/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/us/politics/24acorn.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Archived</a>&nbsp;from the original on June 17, 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2010-04-23</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Acorn+Sues+Over+Video+as+I.R.S.+Severs+Ties&rft.aufirst=Sarah&rft.aulast=Wheaton&rft.date=2009-09-24&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2009%2F09%2F24%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2F24acorn.html&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-94" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-94" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=11192993" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Oversight of Tax-Exempt Groups Like ACORN Examined"</a>, WBOC News, 09-24-2009]</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-95" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-95" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Sharon Theimer.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090924084738/https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jxhq8CPN8LdLntDEDtE5NrEBQ2IgD9AOK3DO0" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Embattled ACORN orders independent investigation"</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press" title="Associated Press" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Associated Press</a>. Archived from&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jxhq8CPN8LdLntDEDtE5NrEBQ2IgD9AOK3DO0" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">the original</a>&nbsp;on September 24, 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-17</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Embattled+ACORN+orders+independent+investigation&rft.au=Sharon+Theimer&rft.genre=article&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fhostednews%2Fap%2Farticle%2FALeqM5jxhq8CPN8LdLntDEDtE5NrEBQ2IgD9AOK3DO0&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-Rutenberg-96" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Rutenberg_96-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Rutenberg, Jim (2009-09-23).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/us/politics/23brfs-ACORNHIRESFO_BRF.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Acorn Hires Former State Law Enforcer"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The New York Times</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2010-04-23</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Acorn+Hires+Former+State+Law+Enforcer&rft.aufirst=Jim&rft.aulast=Rutenberg&rft.date=2009-09-23&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2009%2F09%2F23%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2F23brfs-ACORNHIRESFO_BRF.html&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-nbcwashington-97" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-nbcwashington_97-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/politics/ACORN-59498812.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Suspends Key Services Amid Probe"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WRC-TV" title="WRC-TV" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">WRC-TV</a></i>. nbcwashington.com. September 16, 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">September 20,</span>&nbsp;2009</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+Suspends+Key+Services+Amid+Probe&rft.date=2009-09-16&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcwashington.com%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2FACORN-59498812.html&rft.jtitle=WRC-TV&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-reforms-98" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-reforms_98-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,550941,00.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Announces Reforms After 'Pimp', 'Prostitute' Videos"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News_Channel" class="mw-redirect" title="Fox News Channel" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Fox News</a></i>. foxnews.com. September 16, 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">September 20,</span>&nbsp;2009</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+Announces+Reforms+After+%27Pimp%27%2C+%27Prostitute%27+Videos&rft.date=2009-09-16&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fstory%2F0%2C2933%2C550941%2C00.html&rft.jtitle=Fox+News&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-99" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-99" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.proskauer.com/files/uploads/report2.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; background: url(" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">An Independent Governance Assessment of ACORN</a>; Proskauer; December 7, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-100" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-100" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30919.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">CRS report: ACORN didn't break law</a>&nbsp;<i>Politico</i>; December 23, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-101" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-101" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://judiciary.house.gov/news/091222.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Conyers Releases CRS Report on ACORN</a>, House Judiciary Committee; December 22, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-NEW_YORK_POST-102" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-NEW_YORK_POST_102-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Scott, Brendan; Goldenberg, Sally (2009-09-16).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/regional/ny_dems_give_acorn_pimp_slap_0v7ZOfZrOdpXSpIvop8mgI" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Probe into ACORN's 'brothel' affair"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Post" title="New York Post" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">New York Post</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Probe+into+ACORN%27s+%27brothel%27+affair&rft.aufirst=Brendan&rft.au=Goldenberg%2C+Sally&rft.aulast=Scott&rft.date=2009-09-16&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nypost.com%2Fp%2Fnews%2Fregional%2Fny_dems_give_acorn_pimp_slap_0v7ZOfZrOdpXSpIvop8mgI&rft.jtitle=New+York+Post&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-NEW_YORK_DAILY-103" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-NEW_YORK_DAILY_103-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Scott Shifrel (2010-03-01).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/03/01/2010-03-01_bklyn_acorn_cleared_over_giving_illegal_advice_on_how_to_hide_money_from_prostit.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"B'klyn ACORN cleared over giving illegal advice on how to hide money from prostitution"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Daily_News" title="New York Daily News" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">New York Daily News</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2010-03-05</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=B%27klyn+ACORN+cleared+over+giving+illegal+advice+on+how+to+hide+money+from+prostitution&rft.au=Scott+Shifrel&rft.date=2010-03-01&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nydailynews.com%2Fnews%2Fny_crime%2F2010%2F03%2F01%2F2010-03-01_bklyn_acorn_cleared_over_giving_illegal_advice_on_how_to_hide_money_from_prostit.html&rft.jtitle=New+York+Daily+News&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-104" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-104" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Jonathan D. Salant and Justin Blum (2009-09-18).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aJz3wWKaVmkw" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Congress Votes to Cut U.S. Acorn Funds After Video"</a>. Bloomberg.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Congress+Votes+to+Cut+U.S.+Acorn+Funds+After+Video&rft.au=Jonathan+D.+Salant+and+Justin+Blum&rft.date=2009-09-18&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloomberg.com%2Fapps%2Fnews%3Fpid%3Dnewsarchive%26sid%3DaJz3wWKaVmkw&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-105" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-105" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.brooklynda.org/press_releases/2010/pr_mar_10.htm#01" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes Makes Statement Regarding Investigation Into ACORN</a>, Kings County District Attorney; March 1, 2010</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-106" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-106" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2009/10/ag-opens-probe.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">AG opens probe into ACORN video flap</a>;&nbsp;<i>Sacramento Bee</i>; October 1, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-Maddow-107" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Maddow_107-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Maddow, Rachel (2010-04-06).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/36204129#36204129" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Raw ACORN tapes tell a very different story"</a>.&nbsp;<i>MSNBC.com</i>.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100410094636/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/36204129" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Archived</a>&nbsp;from the original on 10 April 2010<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2010-04-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Raw+ACORN+tapes+tell+a+very+different+story&rft.aufirst=Rachel&rft.aulast=Maddow&rft.date=2010-04-06&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.msnbc.msn.com%2Fid%2F21134540%2Fvp%2F36204129%2336204129&rft.jtitle=MSNBC.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-108" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-108" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-atlas/acorn-vindicated-of-wrong_b_612265.html?page=3&show_comment_id=50563828" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Vindicated of Wrongdoing by the Congressional Watchdog Office",</a>&nbsp;<i>The Huffington Post</i></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-109" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-109" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.aolnews.com/story/the-point-acorn-scandal-federal-funds/673000" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Scandal Jeopardizes ACORN Funding"</a>, AOL News; September 16, 2009<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="line-height: 1;"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span title="&nbsp;Dead link since February 2015">dead link</span></a></i>]</span></sup></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-ReferenceA-110" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-ReferenceA_110-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-ReferenceA_110-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,550602,00.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"News Outlets Largely Ignoring ACORN Scandal, Critics Say"</a>.&nbsp;<i>Fox News</i>. 2009-09-15.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=News+Outlets+Largely+Ignoring+ACORN+Scandal%2C+Critics+Say&rft.date=2009-09-15&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fstory%2F0%2C2933%2C550602%2C00.html&rft.jtitle=Fox+News&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-news.aol.com-111" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-news.aol.com_111-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-news.aol.com_111-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.aol.com/article/the-point-acorn-scandal-federal-funds/673000" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Scandal Jeopardizes ACORN Funding</a>&nbsp;AOL News; September 16, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-112" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-112" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,549241,00.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Officials Videotaped Telling 'Pimp', 'Prostitute' How to Lie to IRS"</a></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-Breitbart-113" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Breitbart_113-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Breitbart_113-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Andrew Breitbart (2009-09-21).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/21/breitbart-the-politicized-art-behind-the-acorn-pla" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"The politicized art behind the ACORN plan"</a>.&nbsp;<i>The Washington Times</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=The+politicized+art+behind+the+ACORN+plan&rft.au=Andrew+Breitbart&rft.date=2009-09-21&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtontimes.com%2Fnews%2F2009%2Fsep%2F21%2Fbreitbart-the-politicized-art-behind-the-acorn-pla&rft.jtitle=The+Washington+Times&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-news.turner.com-114" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-news.turner.com_114-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-news.turner.com_114-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.turner.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=4657#" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">CNN coverage of ACORN controversy</a><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="line-height: 1;"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span title="&nbsp;Dead link since October 2010">dead link</span></a></i>]</span></sup></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-115" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-115" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/11/politics/main5303578.shtml?source=related_story&tag=related" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Under Fire Over Hidden-Camera Tape"</a>.&nbsp;<i>CBS News</i>. 2009-09-11.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+Under+Fire+Over+Hidden-Camera+Tape&rft.date=2009-09-11&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fstories%2F2009%2F09%2F11%2Fpolitics%2Fmain5303578.shtml%3Fsource%3Drelated_story%26tag%3Drelated&rft.jtitle=CBS+News&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-116" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-116" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/10/acorn.prostitution/index.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN workers caught on tape allegedly advising on prostitution"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN" title="CNN" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">CNN</a></i>. 2009-09-11.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100602175011/http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/10/acorn.prostitution/index.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Archived</a>&nbsp;from the original on 2 June 2010<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2010-04-23</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+workers+caught+on+tape+allegedly+advising+on+prostitution&rft.date=2009-09-11&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2009%2FPOLITICS%2F09%2F10%2Facorn.prostitution%2Findex.html&rft.jtitle=CNN&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-117" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-117" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2009/09/18/01" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"The Seeds of a Story"</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Media" title="On the Media" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">On the Media</a>; September 19, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-118" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-118" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/09/11/on-why-i-dont-return-phone-calls-from-an-intrepid-cnn-producer/#" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"O'Keefe refuses to be interviewed by CNN"</a>, BigGovernment.com; September 11, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-119" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-119" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://siu.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/14/acorn-board-fires-members" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN board fires members"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN" title="CNN" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">CNN</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2010-04-23</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+board+fires+members&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fsiu.blogs.cnn.com%2F2008%2F11%2F14%2Facorn-board-fires-members&rft.jtitle=CNN&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-120" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-120" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://siu.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/12/catholic-church-drops-acorn-funding" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Catholic Church drops ACORN funding"</a>.&nbsp;<i>CNN</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2010-04-23</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Catholic+Church+drops+ACORN+funding&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fsiu.blogs.cnn.com%2F2008%2F11%2F12%2Fcatholic-church-drops-acorn-funding&rft.jtitle=CNN&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-BigGov110909-121" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-BigGov110909_121-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">James O'Keefe (2009-09-11).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/09/11/on-why-i-dont-return-phone-calls-from-an-intrepid-cnn-producer/#" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"On Why I Don't Return Phone Calls from an Intrepid CNN Producer"</a>. biggovernment.com.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.au=James+O%27Keefe&rft.btitle=On+Why+I+Don%27t+Return+Phone+Calls+from+an+Intrepid+CNN+Producer&rft.date=2009-09-11&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fbiggovernment.com%2F2009%2F09%2F11%2Fon-why-i-dont-return-phone-calls-from-an-intrepid-cnn-producer%2F%23&rft.pub=biggovernment.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-122" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-122" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,550605,00.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ABC's Gibson: ACORN Scandal a Mystery to Me"</a>.&nbsp;<i>Fox News</i>. 2009-09-15.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ABC%27s+Gibson%3A+ACORN+Scandal+a+Mystery+to+Me&rft.date=2009-09-15&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fstory%2F0%2C2933%2C550605%2C00.html&rft.jtitle=Fox+News&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-123" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-123" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/09/census-severs-relationship-with-acorn.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Census Severs Relationship with ACORN</a>, ABC News; September 11, 2009</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-124" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-124" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8595775" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Jake Tapper on ACORN Probe</a>, ABC News; September 16, 2010</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-foxnews.com-125" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-foxnews.com_125-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-foxnews.com_125-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,550386,00.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Where Is Mainstream Media on Undercover ACORN Videos?"</a>.&nbsp;<i>Fox News</i>. 2009-09-15.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Where+Is+Mainstream+Media+on+Undercover+ACORN+Videos%3F&rft.date=2009-09-15&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fstory%2F0%2C2933%2C550386%2C00.html&rft.jtitle=Fox+News&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-126" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-126" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Dobbs, Lou (September 11, 2009).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0909/11/ldt.01.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Lou Dobbs Tonight"</a>.&nbsp;<i>CNN</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Lou+Dobbs+Tonight&rft.aufirst=Lou&rft.aulast=Dobbs&rft.date=2009-09-11&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Ftranscripts.cnn.com%2FTRANSCRIPTS%2F0909%2F11%2Fldt.01.html&rft.jtitle=CNN&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-127" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-127" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Brown, Campbell (September 11, 2009).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0909/11/ec.01.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Workers Behaving Badly?"</a>.&nbsp;<i>CNN</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+Workers+Behaving+Badly%3F&rft.aufirst=Campbell&rft.aulast=Brown&rft.date=2009-09-11&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Ftranscripts.cnn.com%2FTRANSCRIPTS%2F0909%2F11%2Fec.01.html&rft.jtitle=CNN&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-128" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-128" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Brown, Campbell (September 10, 2010).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0909/10/ec.01.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Questions We Want Answered"</a>.&nbsp;<i>CNN</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Questions+We+Want+Answered&rft.aufirst=Campbell&rft.aulast=Brown&rft.date=2010-09-10&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Ftranscripts.cnn.com%2FTRANSCRIPTS%2F0909%2F10%2Fec.01.html&rft.jtitle=CNN&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-129" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-129" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/29/bank-of-america-pulls-acorn-funding" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Bank of America pulls ACORN funding"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN" title="CNN" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">CNN</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2010-04-23</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Bank+of+America+pulls+ACORN+funding&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fpoliticalticker.blogs.cnn.com%2F2009%2F09%2F29%2Fbank-of-america-pulls-acorn-funding&rft.jtitle=CNN&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-transcripts.cnn.com-130" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-transcripts.cnn.com_130-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-transcripts.cnn.com_130-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Blitzer, Wolf (September 11, 2009).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0909/11/sitroom.03.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN Faces Criticism"</a>.&nbsp;<i>CNN</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN+Faces+Criticism&rft.aufirst=Wolf&rft.aulast=Blitzer&rft.date=2009-09-11&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Ftranscripts.cnn.com%2FTRANSCRIPTS%2F0909%2F11%2Fsitroom.03.html&rft.jtitle=CNN&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-Dobbs100909-131" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Dobbs100909_131-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.loudobbs.com/blog?action=viewBlog&blogID=479265585913818511" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN: Helping Pimps & Prostitutes Lie!"</a>. loudobbs.com. 2009-10-09.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.btitle=ACORN%3A+Helping+Pimps+%26+Prostitutes+Lie%21&rft.date=2009-10-09&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.loudobbs.com%2Fblog%3Faction%3DviewBlog%26blogID%3D479265585913818511&rft.pub=loudobbs.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-Fenwick-132" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Fenwick_132-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/acorns_family_tree.php?page=1" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Alexandra Fenwick, "ACORN's Family Tree: Was the Baltimore video journalism? Does it matter?"</a>,&nbsp;<i>Columbia Journalism Review</i>, 18 September 2009, accessed 29 July 2011</span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-Hoyt-133" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Hoyt_133-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Hoyt_133-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Hoyt, Clark (2010-03-20).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/opinion/21pubed.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"The Acorn Sting Revisited"</a>.&nbsp;<i>The New York Times</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=The+Acorn+Sting+Revisited&rft.aufirst=Clark&rft.aulast=Hoyt&rft.date=2010-03-20&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2010%2F03%2F21%2Fopinion%2F21pubed.html&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-CJR1-134" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-CJR1_134-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Fenwick, Alexandra (2009-09-18).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/acorns_family_tree.php?page=1" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"ACORN's Family Tree: Was the Baltimore video journalism?"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Journalism_Review" title="Columbia Journalism Review" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Columbia Journalism Review</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-18</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=ACORN%27s+Family+Tree%3A+Was+the+Baltimore+video+journalism%3F&rft.aufirst=Alexandra&rft.aulast=Fenwick&rft.date=2009-09-18&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cjr.org%2Fbehind_the_news%2Facorns_family_tree.php%3Fpage%3D1&rft.jtitle=Columbia+Journalism+Review&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-FearsLeonnig-135" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-FearsLeonnig_135-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Fears, Darryl (2009-09-18).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/17/AR2009091704805.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2009091704852" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"The $1,300 Mission to Fell ACORN: Duo in Sting Video Say Their Effort Was Independent"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post" title="The Washington Post" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The Washington Post</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-18</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=The+%241%2C300+Mission+to+Fell+ACORN%3A+Duo+in+Sting+Video+Say+Their+Effort+Was+Independent&rft.aufirst=Darryl&rft.aulast=Fears&rft.date=2009-09-18&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2009%2F09%2F17%2FAR2009091704805.html%3Fhpid%3Dtopnews%26sid%3DST2009091704852&rft.jtitle=The+Washington+Post&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-Leonnig1-136" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-Leonnig1_136-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span>^{</a></b></span>&nbsp;}<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Leonnig, Carol (2009-09-23).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/09/23/DI2009092302081.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Latest Developments in ACORN Story"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post" title="The Washington Post" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The Washington Post</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-09-23</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=Latest+Developments+in+ACORN+Story&rft.aufirst=Carol&rft.aulast=Leonnig&rft.date=2009-09-23&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Fdiscussion%2F2009%2F09%2F23%2FDI2009092302081.html&rft.jtitle=The+Washington+Post&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-HuffPOStark-137" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-HuffPOStark_137-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-HuffPOStark_137-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Stark, Mike (2009-10-22).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-stark/all-you-need-to-know-abou_b_330643.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"All You Need to Know About the ACORN Scandal and Who Is Behind It"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Huffington_Post" title="The Huffington Post" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">The Huffington Post</a></i>.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20091026170941/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-stark/all-you-need-to-know-abou_b_330643.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Archived</a>&nbsp;from the original on 26 October 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-10-22</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=All+You+Need+to+Know+About+the+ACORN+Scandal+and+Who+Is+Behind+It&rft.aufirst=Mike&rft.aulast=Stark&rft.date=2009-10-22&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fmike-stark%2Fall-you-need-to-know-abou_b_330643.html&rft.jtitle=The+Huffington+Post&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li><li id="cite_note-ABAJournal-138" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-ABAJournal_138-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a>&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#cite_ref-ABAJournal_138-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span>&nbsp;<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">McDonough, Molly (2010-03-02).&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/ny_prosecutor_clears_acorn_workers_in_pimp_and_hooker_incident/?from=widget" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"NY Prosecutor Clears ACORN Workers in Pimp and Hooker Incident"</a>.&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABA_Journal" title="ABA Journal" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">ABA Journal</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved&nbsp;<span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2010-03-02</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.atitle=NY+Prosecutor+Clears+ACORN+Workers+in+Pimp+and+Hooker+Incident&rft.aufirst=Molly&rft.aulast=McDonough&rft.date=2010-03-02&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abajournal.com%2Fnews%2Farticle%2Fny_prosecutor_clears_acorn_workers_in_pimp_and_hooker_incident%2F%3Ffrom%3Dwidget&rft.jtitle=ABA+Journal&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></font></font></li></ol></div><h2 style="background: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="mw-headline" id="External_links">External links</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy&action=edit&section=18" title="Edit section: External links" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></font></font></h2><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.proskauer.com/files/uploads/report2.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; background: url(" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px"><i>An Independent Governance Assessment of ACORN</i></a>; Proskauer Rose; December 7, 2009</font></font></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/CRS-ACORN091222.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; background: url(" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px"><i>Congressional Research Service Report on ACORN</i></a>, CRS; December 22, 2009</font></font></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://ag.ca.gov/cms_attachments/press/pdfs/n1888_acorn_report.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; background: url(" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">"<i>Report of the Attorney General on the Activities of Acorn in California</i>"</a>&nbsp;(PDF). State of California, Attorney General's Office. April 1, 2010.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AACORN+2009+undercover+videos+controversy&rft.btitle=Report+of+the+Attorney+General+on+the+Activities+of+Acorn+in+California&rft.date=2010-04-01&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fag.ca.gov%2Fcms_attachments%2Fpress%2Fpdfs%2Fn1888_acorn_report.pdf&rft.pub=State+of+California%2C+Attorney+General%27s+Office&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook" class="Z3988" /></font></font></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/multimedia/index.php" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Video and Audio recordings of ACORN offices"</a>, raw and edited recordings provided by James O'Keefe to the California Attorney General's Office</font></font></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2010/3/12/judge_instructs_fed_agencies_to_resume" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Judge Instructs Fed Agencies to Resume ACORN Funding"</a>, Democracy Now! Website, 12 March 2010</font></font></font></li></ul><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Andrew_Breitbart" style="background: rgb(253, 253, 253); box-sizing: border-box; border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); width: 1041.6px; clear: both; text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 1em auto 0px;"><table class="nowraplinks collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" id="collapsibleTable0" style="width: 1033.6px; border-spacing: 0px; background: transparent;"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2" style="padding: 0.25em 1em; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: center; background: rgb(204, 204, 255);"><span class="collapseButton" style="float: right; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 0.5em; text-align: right; width: 6em;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[<a id="collapseButton0" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy#" style="text-decoration: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">hide</a>]</font></span><div class="plainlinks hlist navbar mini" style="font-weight: normal; 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f<b>oreclosure home defense</b>

http://www.alternet.org/story/121844/resistance_to_housing_foreclosures_spreads_across_the_land
...
In Boston the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America bega<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">n<b> protesting in front of Countrywide Financial </b>offices in October 2007. Within weeks, Countrywide had agreed to work with the group to renegotiate loans. In Philadelphia ACORN and other community organizations helped to pressure the city council to order the county sheriff to halt foreclosure auctions this past March</span>. Philadelphia has since implemented a program mandating "conciliation conferences" between defaulting homeowners and lenders. ACORN organizers say the program has a 78 percent success rate at keeping people in their homes. One activist group in Miami has taken a more direct approach to the crisis, housing homeless families in abandoned bank-owned homes without waiting for government permission....

<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In December, a few weeks after the Countrywide protest, she and Gnaizda wangled a meeting with California Attorney General Jerry Brown, asking him to sue Countrywide for defrauding borrowers. He wasn't interested, </span>Bautista says. The following June, a few days before Bank of America bought out the crippled lender, Brown finally filed suit against Mozilo and Countrywide. Gnaizda explains the delay: "Countrywide was not weak in December."...</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
Craig Robbins, who directs ACORN's foreclosure campaign, echoes Kruggel's sentiment: "We're excited about some of the things Obama has been saying, but there's got to be tremendous pressure for a real, comprehensive federal solution.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">" Taking cues from Depression-era antiforeclosure movements, ACORN activists began disrupting foreclosure sales at courthouses across the country in Januaary. </span>"We're looking to throw a wrench in the foreclosure machinery," says Robbins, adding that ACORN is planning t<b>o organize "rapid defense teams</b>" ready to turn out crowds on short notice to prevent evictions. Until that happens, it might help to remember that the crowd of thousands that came to the Sparanga family's defense in Cleveland didn't gather until four years into the Depression. This one has just begun. endit

http://www.<b>foxnews.</b>com/story/2009/02/23<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">/arrest-made</span>-in-home-foreclosure-civil-disobedience-program.html


=
WABC's) Charlie Gibson on Acorn Scandal: I Don't Even Know About It
9/16/2009, 1:02:59 PM · by ETL · 51 replies · 1,523+ views
<b>BigGovernment.com </b>^ | Publius</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
This morning, the ACORN scandal was raised to Charlie Gibson in an interview on WLS AM Chicago’s “Don Wade & Roma Morning Show.” TRANSCRIPT:Don: Ok here’s my question, Senate bill yesterday passes cutting off funds to this group called ACORN. Now we got the…we got that bill passing, we got the embarrassing video of ACORN staff giving tax advice on how to set up a brothel with 13 year old hookers. It has everything you could want corruption and sleazy action at tax funded organizations that’s got government ties. But nobody’s covering that story why?Charlie Gibson: (laugh) I don’t even...
From 2008: Guilty Party: ACORN, Obama, and the mortgage mess
9/16/2009, 7:39:11 AM · by ETL · 15 replies · 460+ views

<b>National Review</b> ^ | September 30,<b> 2008 </b>| Mona Charen
The financial markets were teetering on the edge of an abyss last week. The secretary of the Treasury was literally on his knees begging the speaker of the House not to sabotage the bailout bill. The crash of falling banks made the earth tremble. The Republican presidential candidate suspended his campaign to deal with the crisis. And amid all this, the<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Democrats in Congress managed to find time to slip language into the bailout legislation that would provide a dandy little slush fund for ACORN.</span> ACORN stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, a busy hive of...

<b>From 2008: ACORN - Who Funds the Weather Underground’s Little Brother?</b>
9/16/2009, 6:37:31 AM · by ETL · 48 replies · 812+ views
<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Foundation Watch - Capital Research Center ^ | 2008 | Matthew Vadum</b></span>
From 2008... Summary: The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has become America’s most prominent leftwing community group. Little-known until now, ACORN has played a major role in the subprime mortgage mess that has undermined Americans’ support for free market problem-solving and set off a worldwide chain of fi nancial troubles. It is also implicated in vote fraud schemes from coast to coast. ACORN aims to give America change that socialists can believe in – by any means necessary. It is deliberately organized to avoid scrutiny. But with an FBI probe underway, millions of dollars in back taxes..

http://www.<b>factcheck.org</b>/2008/10/acorn-accusations/

</font><h2><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Summary</font></h2>

<p><b><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The McCain-Palin campaign accuses ACORN, a community activist group

that operates nationwide, of perpetrating "massive voter fraud." It says

Obama has “long and deep” ties to the group. We find both claims to be

exaggerated. But we also find Obama has understated the extent of his

work with the group.</font></b></p>

<ul><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Neither ACORN nor its employees have been found guilty of, or even

charged with, casting fraudulent votes. What a McCain-Palin Web ad calls

"voter fraud" is actually voter registration fraud. Several ACORN

canvassers have been found guilty of faking registration forms and

others are being investigated. But the evidence that has surfaced so far

shows they faked forms to get paid for work they didn’t do, not to

stuff ballot boxes.</font></li><li><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Obama’s path has intersected with ACORN on several occasions – more often than he allowed in the final debate.</font></li></ul>

<h2><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Analysis</font></h2>

<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">We’ve received scores of e-mails asking us about Obama’s connection

to the community activist group Association of Community Organizers for

Reform Now, or ACORN. A McCain-Palin ad released on the Web accuses

Obama of having ties to the organization, which it says engages in

"intimidation tactics," "massive voter fraud" and "pressuring banks to

issue risky loans."</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[TET ]

</font></p><p style="text-align: center;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>McCain-Palin Web Ad: "ACORN"</strong></font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>McCain:</strong> I’m John McCain and I approve this message.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>Announcer:</strong> Who is Barack Obama? A man with "a

political baptism performed at warp speed." Vast ambition. After

college, he moved to Chicago. Became a community organizer. There, Obama

met Madeleine Talbot, part of the Chicago branch of ACORN. He was so

impressive that he was asked to train the ACORN staff.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">What did ACORN in Chicago engage in? Bullying banks. Intimidation

tactics. Disruption of business. ACORN forced banks to issue risky home

loans. The same types of loans that caused the financial crisis we’re in

today.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">No wonder Obama’s campaign is trying to distance him from the group,

saying, "Barack Obama Never Organized with ACORN." But Obama’s ties to

ACORN run long and deep. He taught classes for ACORN. They even endorsed

him for President.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">But now ACORN is in trouble.</font>

<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>Reporter:</strong> There are at least 11 investigations across the country involving thousands of potentially fraudulent ACORN forms.</font></span></p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">

</font></span><p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>Announcer:</strong> Massive voter fraud. And the Obama campaign paid more than $800,000 to an ACORN front for get out the vote efforts.</font></span>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Pressuring banks to issue risky loans.</b> Nationwide voter fraud. Barack

Obama. Bad judgment. Blind ambition. Too risky for America.</font></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">

[/TET]

</font><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>Destroying Democracy?</strong></font></span></p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">

</font></span><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The McCain ad accuses ACORN of "massive voter fraud." In the final presidential <a href="http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_debate_no_3.html">debate</a>,

John McCain added that ACORN "is now on the verge of maybe perpetrating

one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe

destroying the fabric of democracy.</span>" Sounds scary, but is it true?</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>There’s no evidence of any such democracy-destroying fraud. Here’s

what is true: In recent years, ACORN employees have been investigated

multiple times for voter registration fraud. </b>ACORN workers have been

convicted of submitting false voter registration forms in Colorado

Springs in 2005, Kansas City, Mo., in <a href="http://www.kmbc.com/politics/10214492/detail.html">2006</a> and King County, Wash., in 2007. ACORN’s Las Vegas office was <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/07/acorn_nevada_offices_raided.html">raided</a>

by a state criminal investigator on Oct. 7, 2008. ACORN workers are

also the subjects of ongoing investigations in Wisconsin, Missouri,

Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana. The Indiana investigation <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/09/acorn.fraud.claims/index.html">started</a> in early October and <b>may</b> involve <b>thousands of fraudulent registration forms.</b></font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">On Oct. 16 The Associated Press quoted two "senior law enforcement" officials as saying that <a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hSQRQM34d7S1eOAiEdP7GAxlwf_QD93RUCH80">the FBI is investigating</a> ACORN seeking "any evidence of a coordinated national scam." The following day the Obama campaign’s lawyer, Robert Bauer, sent <a href="http://rawstory.com/images/other/ObamaJusticeletter.pdf">a seven-page letter</a>

to the attorney general claiming that federal law enforcement officials

were being improperly used to help McCain by suppressing the vote

through "unsupported, spurious allegations of vote fraud.</span>" He asked that

the investigation be transferred to the special prosecutor

investigating the U.S. attorney firing scandal. The McCain campaign <a href="http://www.johnmccain.com/informing/news/PressReleases/ac134c53-debb-4dd5-8c9a-472597eadd12.htm">issued a statement</a>

in which spokesman Ben Porritt called Bauer’s letter "outrageous" and

"absurd" and a "heavy handed tactic of attempting to criminalize

political discourse."</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">But so far ACORN itself has not been officially charged with any

fraud. Aside from the heated charges and counter-charges, no evidence

has yet surfaced to show that the ACORN employees who submitted

fraudulent registration forms intended to pave the way for illegal

voting. Rather, they were trying to get paid by ACORN for doing no work.

Dan Satterberg, the Republican prosecuting attorney in King County,

Wash., where the largest ACORN case to date was prosecuted, <a href="http://www.metrokc.gov/proatty/news/2007/Voter%20Registration%20Statement.htm">said</a> that the indicted ACORN employees were shirking responsibility, not plotting election fraud.</font></p>

<blockquote>

<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>Satterberg: </strong>[A] joint federal and state investigation has determined that this

scheme was not intended to permit illegal voting.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">Instead, the defendants cheated their employer, the Association of

Community Organizations for Reform Now (or ACORN), to get paid for work

they did not actually perform.</span> ACORN’s lax oversight of their own voter

registration drive permitted this to happen. … It was hardly a

sophisticated plan: The defendants simply realized that making up names

was easier than actually canvassing the streets looking for unregistered

voters. … [It] appears that the employees of ACORN were not performing

the work that they were being paid for, and to some extent, ACORN is a

victim of employee theft.</font></p>

</blockquote>

<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The $8-an-hour employees were charged with providing false

information on voter registration forms, and in one case with making a

false statement to a public official. Five of the seven who were charged

<a href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/349896_voterfraud04.html">pleaded guilty</a>. ACORN was fined for exercising insufficient oversight, but it was not charged with masterminding any kind of deliberate fraud.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">ACORN pays canvassers by the hour, not by the form, but it does ask

them to meet certain registration goals.</span> In ACORN’s Las Vegas office,

one employee who admitted to submitting fraudulent registrations said

that she did so because she found ACORN’s requirement of <b>20

registrations per day to be too steep</b> to meet, according to an affidavit

by a Nevada state criminal investigator. Local news reports at the time

also said that some of the ACORN offices under investigation paid

bonuses for each registration, or a higher hourly rate to those who

brought in more applications. ACORN’s deputy political director, Kevin

Whelan, denies that this is ACORN policy.</font></p>

<div style="text-align: center;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>What ACORN Says</strong></font></div>

<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In its defense, ACORN says that only a few of its 13,000 paid

canvassers turned in any faked forms. "</span>[T]here are always some people

who want to get paid without really doing the job, or who aim to defraud

their employer," the group said in an <a href="http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=12439&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=22383&tx_ttnews[backPid]=12340&cHash=ef14f35f55">Oct. 10 statement</a> on its Web site. "Any large department store will have some workers who shoplift."</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>ACORN also says it cannot simply discard suspicious forms on its own,

but is required by law in most states to submit to local election

officials all the forms its canvassers bring in. </b>ACORN’s Whelan told us

that its own legal counsel strongly advises that the group do the same

in states that don’t explicitly require it, because "only election

officials are legally able to determine the validity of a voter

registration application." But ACORN <a href="http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=12439&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=22383&tx_ttnews[backPid]=12340&cHash=ef14f35f55">says</a>

that it first flags all suspicious registrations. Staffers call the

phone numbers written on completed registration forms to make sure

they’re valid and also take note of incomplete or duplicate forms. The

group says that it alerts election officials to forms that look fishy

when it sends them in.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">However, it’s not clear whether or not those procedures were followed in Nevada prior to a <a href="http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/07/acorn-vegas-office-raided-voter-fraud-investigation/">highly publicized raid</a> by state officials on Oct. 7. According to an <a href="http://cdn.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/ACORNAffidavit.pdf">affidavit</a>

by Colin Hayes, a criminal investigator for the secretary of state’s

office, a probe began July 2 after the county registrar reported

receiving a number of suspicious registration forms from ACORN. Hayes

did not state whether or not those suspicious forms had been flagged by

ACORN before being turned in. Later, during a July 18 meeting, ACORN’s

lawyer told local and state officials that the group had identified a

number of suspicious registrations and "would be willing to provide such

information" for further investigation. On Aug. 7, at the request of

the county registrar, ACORN supplied copies of documents related to 33

ACORN workers who had been fired for "suspicious" voter registration

activities.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Investigator Hayes followed up, confirmed that many registrations

were faked, and found a former ACORN worker who confessed to faking most

of her forms. After obtaining a warrant based on the affidavit, state

officials seized records and computers. Secretary of State Ross Miller

was quoted as saying the faked forms included names from the starting

lineup of the Dallas Cowboys.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">While ACORN says that such raids are part of "a systematic partisan

agenda of voter suppression," it is worth noting that in this case,

Secretary of State Miller is a Democrat.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Whelan told us that ACORN’s national management staff trains local

directors and travels extensively to supervise offices, but the 2007

Washington state prosecution makes it clear that quality control is

lacking in at least some outposts. Prosecutor Satterberg wrote: "We

believe that ACORN’s internal quality control procedures were not just

deficient but entirely non-existent when it came to the latter stages of

their operation in Tacoma." He fined the group $25,000 for failing to

exercise sufficient oversight.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>How Common Is Fraud?</strong></font>

<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Election fraud does exist, but hasn’t been shown to be widespread. The New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/washington/12fraud.html">reported</a>

in 2007 that a five-year crackdown on such fraud by the Bush

administration’s Justice Department had produced <b>70 convictions at the

federal level, including 40 campaign workers or government workers

convicted of vote-buying, intimidation or ballot forgery, and 23 cases

of multiple voting or voting by ineligible voters. </b>But the Times

described these as unconnected incidents and said the Justice Department

had turned up no evidence of "any organized effort to skew federal

elections."</font></span>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Bush administration officials have pushed hard to find such evidence,

too hard in one case, according to an investigation by the Department

of Justice’s internal watchdogs, the Office of the Inspector General

(OIG) and Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). Their report into

the firing of nine United States attorneys concluded that the "real

reason" for the <b>firing of New Mexico’s U.S. Attorney David Iglesias </b>was

"complaints about Iglesias’s handling of voter fraud and public

corruption matters." The complaints included gripes by state Republican

Party officials who believed that widespread fraud by Democrats had

prevented George Bush from winning the state in the 2000 presidential

election. Iglesias launched a task force that worked with the FBI but

found that "there was insufficient evidence in any of the cases the Task

Force reviewed to support criminal prosecution by the [U.S. Attorney’s

Office] or state authorities," according to the report of the OIG and

OPR. These included cases involving ACORN workers. Republicans charged

that Iglesias was showing insufficient rigor in prosecuting the cases.</font>

<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>ACORN and the Housing Crisis</strong></font></span></p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">

</font></span><p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The McCain ad says that ACORN in Chicago engaged in "bullying banks.

Intimidation tactics. Disruption of business" and "forced banks to issue

risky home loans." In support of these statements, the McCain campaign

cites conservative opinion pieces, including <a href="http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=Mzk4MmVkNzA1NGQ2NGRkZjQ2YjNmYjdlODZkMmQ4N2I=">a column by Mona Charen</a> posted by the<b> National Review Online,</b> titled "Guilty Party: ACORN, Obama and the Mortgage Mess."</font></span>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">It is true that ACORN has led demonstrations on a number of issues

nationwide –<b> predatory lending,</b> immigration reform, neighborhood

violence, utilities shut-offs, minimum wage increases. Sometimes the

group’s tactics are confrontational, veering into civil disobedience.

For instance, in the late 1980s, ACORN activists in a number of cities,

including Chicago, seized abandoned houses and encouraged "squatting" by

homeless people, in an attempt to force local governments to salvage

abandoned properties and convert them into low-income housing. The

targets of ACORN’s protests sometimes describe the activists as

intractable or even aggressive. Other ACORN protests are less

confrontational;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Sen. McCain himself <a href="http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/10/a_lifetime_ago_sen_john.php">spoke</a> at an ACORN rally on illegal immigration in 2006.</span></font>

<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">It stretches the facts, however, to say that ACORN "forced" banks to

make risky loans, though it has certainly applied pressure on banks to

make loans to minority and low-income borrowers. ACORN also has worked

directly with banks in a joint effort to increase such lending. In

Chicago these efforts date back at least to 1992, after a report by the

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston <a href="http://www.bos.frb.org/economic/wp/wp1992/wp92_7.htm">showed</a>

that minorities in that city were two to three times as likely to be

denied mortgage loans as white applicants, and that high-income

minorities were more likely to be turned down than low-income whites.

Chicago ACORN then started a mortgage assistance program, in cooperation

with five local banks, to help minority and low-income borrowers get

mortgage loans.</font></span>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The mortgages that ACORN worked out with the banks did have lower

underwriting standards than were customary. They allowed a higher

percentage of a family’s income to go to debt repayment, and counted

rent and utility payments, not just credit card payments, as evidence of

ability to pay back a loan. The loans were also more forgiving of past

credit problems, as long as the recipient was making a proven effort to

address them. But ACORN provided loan deals only to people who went

through counseling on budget and credit issues. In 1992, First

Nationwide Bank Vice President Neal Halleran told the Chicago Tribune:<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">

"Transaction by transaction, [loans from the ACORN program] would appear

to be performing no worse than our portfolio overall." According to the

Tribune, First Nationwide had contacted ACORN to initiate the lending

program.</span></font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>Obama: Burying ACORNs</strong></font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The ad says that "Obama’s ties to ACORN run long and deep" – that he

"taught classes" for the group, paid a "front" $800,000 for

get-out-the-vote efforts, and was endorsed by ACORN for president. That

last one’s true – ACORN’s political action committee did offer an Obama

endorsement. It’s also true that Obama has worked with the group in the

past. In 1995, Obama helped <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/02/20/obama_got_start_in_civil_rights_practice/">represent</a> ACORN in a successful lawsuit to require the state of Illinois to offer "motor voter" registration at DMV offices. Obama has <a href="http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/debates/transcripts/third-presidential-debate.html">said</a>

that this is his only association with ACORN, but that’s not the case –

he has had other, though less direct, interactions with the

organization.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">When Obama was on the board of directors of the <a href="http://www.woodsfund.org/about/mission">Woods Fund</a>, the foundation gave grants of $75,000 in <a href="http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org//990pf_pdf_archive/363/363917968/363917968_200112_990PF.pdf">2001</a> and $70,000 in <a href="http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org//990pf_pdf_archive/363/363917968/363917968_200212_990PF.pdf">2002</a> to ACORN’s Chicago office. The McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-04-2008/0004897846&EDATE=">cite</a> an additional grant of $45,000 in 2000. The Woods Fund has not responded to our calls about their 2000 grants.</font>

<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Obama campaign also <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/09/acorn.fraud.claims/index.html">paid</a>

Citizens Services Inc., a group affiliated with ACORN, more than

$800,000 for get-out-the-vote (not voter registration) efforts during

the primary election. The nature of CSI’s services was initially <a href="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/election/s_584284.html">misrepresented</a>

on the Obama campaign’s disclosures to the Federal Election Commission,

which the campaign describes as an oversight. The Obama campaign says

it has not been involved with ACORN during the general election.</font></span>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In addition, after law school, Obama may have had contact with ACORN when he <a href="http://www.barackobama.com/issues/service/">directed</a>

a Chicago registration drive for Project Vote in 1992. According to

Sanford Newman, who was the program’s national director at the time,

ACORN may have been one of dozens of organizations that participated in

registration drives that year with Project Vote personnel like Obama.

But Project Vote didn’t begin contracting exclusively with ACORN until

after Obama worked for the group in 1992. “Working for Project Vote at

the time was by no means working for ACORN," Newman told us. ACORN had

no influence on Project Vote policy and no representation on its board.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">As for "teaching classes" for the group, the McCain campaign cites a

March 2008 Newsday article, which says that ACORN organizer Madeleine

Talbot "initially considered Obama a competitor" when both were working

to get asbestos insulation removed from a Chicago housing project, but

that "she became so impressed with his work that she invited him to help

train her staff." Newsday does not say whether Obama accepted the

invitation. An <a href="http://www.socialpolicy.org/index.php?id=838">article</a>

by Chicago alderman Toni Foulkes says that "we [ACORN] have invited

Obama to our leadership training sessions to run the session on power

every year" between 1992 and 2004, when the article was written. The

Obama campaign says that Obama participated in two, one-hour trainings

in a volunteer capacity. Foulkes could not be reached for comment.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Neither ACORN’s Chicago office nor CSI has been accused of voter registration irregularities.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">–by Jess Henig, with Ronald Lampard</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Update, Oct. 21: We originally said that Project Vote works

closely with ACORN, implying that Obama would have had contact with the

group when he directed a voter registration drive for Project Vote in

1992. We have since learned that Project Vote and ACORN may or may not

have worked together in Chicago that year. The group didn’t contract

with ACORN exclusively back then. We have corrected the story to reflect

this.</font></p>

<h2><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Sources</font></h2>

<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Helling, Dave. "False voter registrations allegedly submitted; Four

who have been indicted had worked as registration recruiters for ACORN

group." Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2006.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Associated Press. "<a href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/349896_voterfraud04.html">Pierce County to pull 230 names off voter list</a>," 3 Feb. 2008.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Griffin, Drew and Kathleen Johnston. "<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/09/acorn.fraud.claims/index.html">Thousands of voter registration forms faked, officials say</a>." CNN, 10 Oct. 2008.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Jordan, Lara Jakes. "<a href="http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D93RNJOG2&show_article=1">Officials: FBI investigates ACORN for voter fraud</a>." Associated Press, 16 Oct. 2008.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">CNN. "<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/17/obama.acorn/?iref=hpmostpop">Obama camp calls for special prosecutor in fraud investigation</a>," 18 Oct 2008.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Bliss, Jeff. "<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aAYOYsAX8sQs&refer=home">Obama Lawyer Asks for Probe Into Vote-Fraud Claims (Update1).</a>" Bloomberg News, 17 Oct 2008.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Bauer, Robert. <a href="http://rawstory.com/images/other/ObamaJusticeletter.pdf">Letter to U.S. Atty. Gen. Michael B. Mukasey</a>, 17 Oct 2008.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">McCain-Palin 2008. "<a href="http://www.johnmccain.com/informing/news/PressReleases/ac134c53-debb-4dd5-8c9a-472597eadd12.htm">Statement On Obama Campaign’s Letter To Justice Department On Voter Fraud</a>," 17 Oct 2008.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Falcone, Michael. "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/us/politics/15campaign.html?_r=1&oref=slogin">Acorn Replies to Questions About Role With Voters</a>." New York Times, 14 Oct. 2008.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN. "<a href="http://cdn.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/ACORNPerfVerificationProcedures.doc">Voter Registration Performance Verification Procedures</a>," Accessed 17 Oct. 2008.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Haynes, Colin. "Application and Affidavit for Search Warrant." Office of the Secretary of State, Nevada, Oct. 2008.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">U.S. Inspector General. "<a href="http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/s0809a/final.pdf">An Investigation into the Removal of Nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006</a>." U.S. Department of Justice, Sep. 2008.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Lipton, Eric and Ian Urbina. "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/washington/12fraud.html">In 5-Year Effort, Scant Evidence of Voter Fraud</a>." New York Times, 12 Apr. 2007.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Munnell, Alicia H., et al. "<a href="http://www.bos.frb.org/economic/wp/wp1992/wp92_7.htm">Mortgage Lending in Boston: Interpreting HMDA Data</a>." American Economic Review, Mar. 1996.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Allen, J. Linn. "Banks, activists tailor loans to communities." Chicago Tribute, 1 Sep. 1992.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Ringham, Bob. "The Loan Rangers." Chicago Sun-Times, 23 Sep. 1993.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Vogrin, Bill. "<a href="http://www.gazette.com/articles/acorn_17011___article.html/stovall_neighborhood.html">Voice for the needy keeps low profile</a>." Colorado Springs Gazette, 18 Apr. 2005.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Duncombe, Ted. "Drive Gains to Legally Place Homeless in Abandoned Buildings." Associated Press, 1 Dec. 1987.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Brown, David. "<a href="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/election/s_584284.html">Obama to amend report on $800,000 in spending</a>." Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 22 Aug. 2008.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Tayler, Etta and Keith Herbert. "Chicago Streets Obama’s Teacher." Newsday, 2 Mar. 2008.</font>

<font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Foulkes, Toni. "<a href="http://www.socialpolicy.org/index.php?id=838">Case Study: Chicago — The Barack Obama Campaign</a>." Social Policy, Winter 2003/Spring 2004.
</font></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">BAK</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">target by beck et al</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">moncrier "whistleblower "</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">lawyers CIR/WLF</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">cns bs</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">“There is a push in Minnesota to get so many people in the mail process,” Braden, former chief counsel for the Republican National Committee, said during an election law panel at CPAC. &nbsp; Because of local government resources there, cities rejected less than 1 percent of absentee ballots, while rural areas rejected more than 10 percent, Braden said. &nbsp; “This is a clear violation of the equal protection clause,” Braden said. “More mail-in votes results in many disenfranchised voters.” &nbsp; The Minnesota Senate race is likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. But beyond that single state, the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now (ACORN) also poses a threat to clean elections, said Heather Heidelbaugh, vice president of the Republican National Lawyers Association, which brought suit against ACORN in Pennsylvania. &nbsp;Heidelbaugh said ACORN will probably get money to help conduct the 2010 Census. &nbsp;&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">“The one thing worse than having Al Franken in the Senate is to have ACORN conducting the Census,” Heidelbaugh said during the CPAC panel. &nbsp; <b>Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell,</b> who supervised that state’s election system, called the effort to move the Census under control of the White House an indicator that “team Obama has its sights set on the greatest accumulation of power we have ever witnessed.” - See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/liberal-groups-are-undermining-voter-id-laws-say-conservative-election-experts#sthash.4ESbnbsy.dpuf</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95696267</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2008 overby</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN Has Long Been In Republicans' Cross Hairs</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Fox Still Ignoring That IRS Targeted Progressives</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Blog ››› August 21, 2013 10:48 AM EDT ››› ZACHARY PLEAT</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">A day after a Democratic congressman revealed further evidence that the IRS targeted progressive groups, Fox News is still ignoring the story by continuing to suggest that the IRS targeted only conservative groups.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The August 20 edition of On the Record and the August 21 edition of Fox & Friends both highlighted a lawsuit filed against the IRS that seeks to review the agency's guidelines for determining whether an organization deserves tax-exempt status, following reports that the agency inappropriately imposed extra scrutiny on conservative organizations. But in neither of the segments, which together devoted a total of six minutes to the topic, did Fox find the time to mention the fact that new evidence released August 20 effectively ends the IRS "scandal" the network has been hyping for months.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On August 20, Salon reported that the new documents reinforced evidence proving the IRS targeted progressive groups as well:</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">We already know that the IRS targeted progressive groups in addition to Tea Party ones, but new information released today adds further details, showing that the tax agency also targeted "ACORN successors" and left-leaning "Emerge" groups. Emerge Nevada, Emerge Maine and Emerge Massachusetts were the only groups to have their applications actually denied 501(c)4 tax-exempt status. Conservative groups had their applications delayed, in some cases for over a year, but not rejected outright.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Democrats say the new information should put to rest any lingering embers of the IRS scandal. "This new information should put a nail in the coffin of the Republican claims that the IRS's actions were politically motivated or were targeted at only one side of the political spectrum," said Elijah Cummings, the Maryland Democrat who is the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The term "Emerge" had been redacted from an earlier version of a document released by the IRS, but was present on a newer version made available today. The new documents also showed that successors to ACORN, the liberal grass-roots organizing group that became a bugaboo of conservatives and that Congress defunded (again and again). The instructions on "ACORN successors" came on a BOLO (be on the lookout) list that included healthcare organizations, medical marijuana groups, newspapers, open source technology groups and other non-political organizations.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">A day later, Fox News has yet to report on these revelations.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;rt understands network attack? &nbsp;who are they trying to neutralize? acorn did reinvent? one guy went to srs</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">8/13</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">WASHINGTON -- When House GOP leaders abruptly shelved a bill to fund standard federal transportation and housing programs last Wednesday, one of the legislation's few uncontroversial provisions was a section banning funds for the anti-poverty group ACORN. Had Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) been able to pass the bill, it would have marked the 13th time that Republicans have voted to block federal funding for ACORN since the GOP took over the lower chamber in 2011.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Oddly, however, ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, does not exist. And it did not exist at any time when the House GOP has held a vote on ACORN's access to government monies -- the group disbanded in the spring of 2010.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Just why, exactly, the House GOP keeps voting to ban funding for an organization that was extinguished more than three years ago remains something of a mystery, and the subject of Democratic ridicule.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"Word is the majority will also prohibit foreign aid to the Ottoman Empire this year," a Democratic congressional aide snarked to HuffPost. (Like ACORN, the Ottoman Empire does not exist.)</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"Thirteen votes to defund a program that no longer exists. Forty votes to repeal a health care law that is transforming millions of lives," said Drew Hammill, a spokesman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), comparing the anti-ACORN legislation to the House GOP's routine votes to repeal Obamacare. "If their agenda is to do nothing on a timeline of never, they're setting record pace."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) declined to comment on the ACORN legislation and directed questions to Jennifer Hing, spokeswoman for the GOP majority on the House Appropriations Committee. Hing has repeatedly told HuffPost that the defunding of ACORN is a "standard provision" that goes into most appropriations bills.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Unlike most anti-poverty groups, ACORN was actually staffed by low-income people. The organization was never popular among conservative political groups. Republican politicians and right-wing activists had targeted the organization for decades, accusing ACORN of broad voter fraud conspiracies without ever turning up anything other than a few isolated, usually accidental, violations.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">All of that changed in the fall of 2009, when conservative provocateur James O'Keefe released selectively edited videos that appeared to show ACORN employees offering advice on tax avoidance related to prostitution and child smuggling. Independent investigations by the California attorney general, the Massachusetts attorney general and the Brooklyn, N.Y., district attorney would later clear ACORN of criminal wrongdoing, and an investigation by the Government Accountability Office would clear the group of charges that it mishandled federal funds.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Before these investigations were completed, however, Congress cut off federal funding for ACORN using broad language that applied to any organization that had been charged with breaking federal or state election laws, lobbying disclosure laws or campaign finance laws or with filing fraudulent paperwork with any federal or state agency. The funding ban also extended to any employees, contractors or others affiliated with any group so charged. [ATI?]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The funding ban passed in the fall of 2009, and in early 2010, an empty-coffered ACORN disbanded. The House GOP has continued to bar the group from receiving federal cash ever since.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Today, the House Appropriations Committee generally includes a provision to bar funding for ACORN in bills that it approves. But not every bill that clears that committee goes out with anti-ACORN language. Legislation to fund energy and water, for instance, which passed the full House on July 10, made no mention of ACORN.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"The [energy and water] appropriations bill has not carried this provision in the past, and therefore did not carry it this year," said Hing.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Several other appropriations bills -- legislative branch funding and Hurricane Sandy relief aid, for instance -- have not included the boilerplate language regarding ACORN.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">When asked if there were any rhyme or reason to the ACORN provisions, Hing told HuffPost, "Some of these were added via amendments on the House floor, so it was a fluid process."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">How many times ACORN has been defunded is the subject of mild dispute among experts. While the House GOP has cast 12 different votes in favor of legislative language barring federal funds for ACORN, one of those votes, on June 14, 2011, was cast for two separate bills with anti-ACORN provisions. One of those bills, moreover, included two separate provisions barring funds to ACORN.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The anti-ACORN language at times takes different formulations. A recent bill to fund military projects and the Veterans Administration includes the line, "None of the funds made available in this Act may be distributed to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) or its subsidiaries."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Last year's version of the same bill adds "or successors" to the boilerplate.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Some anti-ACORN funding provisions even retroactively ban funds previously appropriated to the organization:</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"None of the funds made available under this Act or any prior appropriations Act may be provided to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, or allied organizations," reads one 2012 appropriations bill.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Another version from 2011 lists nearly three pages of state and local ACORN chapters -- all defunct -- that are barred from receiving government money.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Democrats have seldom fought the ACORN language, but defunding the group has not always an exclusively partisan proposition.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In the summer of 2010, the GOP successfully pushed two appropriations bills through the House, then led by Speaker Pelosi, that included a ban on funding for ACORN. At the time, the various government investigations into ACORN had not been completed, and many Democrats were wary of appearing sympathetic to the group.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The investigations cleared ACORN, but that did not halt the defunding efforts. When the GOP took control of the House in the November 2010 elections, anti-ACORN language became standard practice in the appropriations committee.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Transportation and housing funding, like the farm bill, were once considered certain to pass in both chambers of Congress. While the political future of basic federal transportation projects remains unclear, whenever House Republicans can find something to agree on, it's a safe bet that an ACORN funding ban will make the cut.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
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</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">House Republicans To Defund ACORN Again, Even Though It Still Does Not Exist</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Posted: 06/04/2013 12:37 pm EDT &nbsp;| &nbsp;Updated: 06/05/2013 11:02 am EDT</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">WASHINGTON -- House Republicans are scheduled to vote on two separate budget bills this week, each of which would reject funding for the poverty activism group ACORN, despite the fact that ACORN disbanded three years ago.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN, also known as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, came under heavy fire in the fall of 2009 after conservative videographer James O'Keefe released a set of selectively edited videos that appeared to show its employees offering advice on tax avoidance related to prostitution and child smuggling. Independent investigations by the California attorney general, the Massachusetts attorney general and the Brooklyn, N.Y., district attorney would later clear ACORN of criminal wrongdoing, and an investigation by the Government Accountability Office would clear ACORN of charges that it mishandled federal funds.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">But in the fall of 2009, Congress banned federal funding for ACORN using broad language that applied to "any organization" that had been charged with breaking federal or state election laws, lobbying disclosure laws or campaign finance laws or with filing fraudulent paperwork with any federal or state agency. The funding ban also extended to any employees, contractors or others affiliated with any group so charged.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Struggling with the bad publicity and loss of federal funds, ACORN dissolved in early 2010. Just to be sure, however, Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) included this language in a government funding bill introduced on May 28 of this year: "None of the funds made available in this Act may be distributed to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) or its subsidiaries or successors."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Section 545 of a bill put forward the next day by Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) delves still deeper into faux certainty, extending the funding ban to "any prior appropriations Act."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In fact, ACORN has no subsidiaries, because it has not existed for three years. Neither bill defines "successors," but the broad language of the original 2009 funding ban left little room for leeway, extending to "Any State chapter of ACORN registered with the Secretary of State's office in that State," "any organization that shares directors, employees, or independent contractors with ACORN," and any organization that "employs" someone "indicted" for violations that ACORN was initially charged with.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"Is this network war?]it too late to defund Saddam Hussein?" mocked Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.).</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Jennifer Hing, a spokeswoman for House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), defended the passages as routine language that House Republicans always include. "These provisions are typically carried every year in appropriations bills," Hing said.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Indeed, like a game of legislative Mad Libs, the House GOP routinely inserts a similar provision in appropriations bills it approves. In March, the House signed off on a short-term "continuing resolution" budget with language identical to Culberson's.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The decision of whether to cover prior legislation in the ACORN funding ban is left to individual Appropriations subcommittees, according to Hing. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, chaired by Carter, traditionally includes the retroactive ban. The Culberson and Carter bills are both set for a vote this week.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/04/defund-acorn_n_3384060.html</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">For this, the group was killed. Tea Party groups organized rallies, local authorities squeezed the group, and Congress even introduced and passed a bill in 2009 called the “Defund ACORN Act.” The group, which suffered from other significant legal and financial issues, is now defunct. But in that time, ACORN became a top-tier villain of the right, mentioned hundreds of times in 2008 and 2009 by conservative media figures tracked by Media Matters. In later 2009, the pollster PPP asked respondents, “Do you think that Barack Obama legitimately won the Presidential election last year, or do you think that ACORN stole it for him?” Among Republicans, only 27 percent said Obama actually won the race — 52 percent said that ACORN stole it. Even some GOP congressional candidates blamed their losses on ACORN. ...http://www.salon.com/2012/09/28/gops_acorn_moment/</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">CRC</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In mid-October, the Center's president, Terence Scanlon, launched a pre-emptive strike against ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) and its voter registration efforts. Scanlon cast a shadow over ACORN's reports that it had registered over one million new voters. He charged that because of irregularities, the organization was coming under scrutiny by lawmakers "in state after state [where] allegations are surfacing that ACORN activists are padding the registration books."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">As a non-profit community-based organizing group, ACORN has been in CRC's radar for several years. According to Scanlon, ACORN, with some 150,000 dues-paying members organized into 65 city chapters, "is better known for public disruption." Its so-called community organizing "has relied on in-your-face confrontation," including a 1995 demonstration targeting then House Speaker Newt Gingrich. "In 2002 it burst into the Heritage Foundation to harangue welfare reform expert Robert Rector. Dozen of city councils and state legislatures have had to face angry ACORN protesters demanding higher minimum wages and more welfare entitlements. Banks have been pressured to change their lending practices or face ACORN charges of discrimination before regulators."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In the constellation that comprises the growing sector of right wing think tanks and policy institutes, the Capital Research Center (CRC) isn't the best funded, the most noteworthy, or the most influential. It doesn't have the largest staff, or the biggest building. Unlike its well-known sister institutions -- the Heritage Foundation (website), the American Enterprise Institute (website) and the Hoover Institution (website) &nbsp;the Capital Research Center mostly slogs away in relative anonymity.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Don't be fooled by the CRC general lack of buzz-generating activities: For over 20 years, the CRC has been hell-bent on carrying out its mission – defunding and disempowering the progressive non-profit sector and casting a wary eye on the foundations that fund them.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Most of time, however, CRC staffers are busy doing the nuts and bolts of the Center &nbsp;analyzing how tax-exempt, tax-deductible organizations combine advocacy and "direct action" to promote their vision of the public interest. And it examines how closely individuals in the corporate and foundation sectors are sticking to the "donor intent" of the founders of these corporations and foundations. CRC's staff gets most infuriated when they discover that foundations that were originally established by free-market entrepreneurs that accumulated enormous wealth based on distinctly anti-environmental activities, provide significant funding support for environmental groups.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
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</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">crc:&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Capital Research Center (CRC) was founded in 1984 by a former Heritage Foundation vice president to implement this agenda by uncovering the presumably questionable funding sources of progressive groups. CRC's central assumption has always been that "a unified, sophisticated and well-funded philanthropic elite is dedicated to imposing on us the doctrine of 'progressive' philanthropy, doctrines that would reorder our political, economic and cultural priorities."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The CRC selected ACORN as a favored targed long before almost anybody else had heard of the group. In January 2005, Bill Berkowitz, who regularly reports on right-wing organizations, wrote:</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"In mid-October of last year, the Center's president, Terence Scanlon, launched a pre-emptive strike against ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) and its voter registration efforts. Scanlon cast a shadow over ACORN's reports that it had registered over one million new voters. He charged that because of irregularities, the organization was coming under scrutiny by lawmakers 'in state after state [where] allegations are surfacing that ACORN activists are padding the registration books'</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"As a non-profit community-based organizing group, ACORN has been on the CRC's radar for several years. According to Scanlon, ACORN, with some 150,000 dues-paying members organized into 65 city chapters, 'is better known for public disruption.' Its so-called community organizing 'has relied on in-your-face confrontation,' including a 1995 demonstration targeting then House Speaker Newt Gingrich. 'In 2002 it burst into the Heritage Foundation to harangue welfare reform expert Robert Rector. Dozen of city councils and state legislatures have had to face angry ACORN protesters demanding higher minimum wages and more welfare entitlements. Banks have been pressured to change their lending practices or face ACORN charges of discrimination before regulators.'”</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Currently, CRC senior editor Matthew Vadum -- who describes himself as "America's foremost expert on the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)" -- seems to be carrying much of the weight of the anti-ACORN campaign through his blog, Twitter feed, and frequent appearances with Glenn Beck and other right-wing TV hosts.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Last May, Vadum told Beck, "ACORN is an immense crime family ... that has tentacles all though the United States, and now it's trying to spread to India and Canada and other places. ... They're engaged in racketeering. ... They break the law constantly."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"Something that needs to be explored is the roots of ACORN in the 1960s," Vadum continued. "It grew out of the radical welfare rights movement. And the idea behind that was that not enough people were on welfare and that you needed to pack the welfare rolls with as many people as possible in order to overwhelm the governments -- the various levels of government -- and cause social chaos. ... I guess you could say it was a Marxist-anarchist idea."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Vadum's latest entry at his CRC blog attempts to drag progressive filmmaker Brave New Films into his ACORN-related conspiracy theories. "Unwilling to admit it’s an ongoing criminal conspiracy to defraud the people of the United States of America, ACORN has retained Bolshevik Brave New Films to do some of its dirty work for it," Vadum writes. "The leftist propaganda factory headquartered in Culver City, Calif., has launched a new website, DeFOXamerica.com, which is an effort to shoot the messenger. Fox is the only television network that has taken much of an interest in covering the ACORN scandal which some commentators say is bigger than Watergate. ... It’s not known how much ACORN had to pay Brave New Films, a 501(c)(4) advocacy nonprofit, to shill for it."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[DeFox America's Video on the attacks on ACORN is the video on the upper right-hand side of the screen]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/02/jon-stewart-on-climategat_n_376672.html Jon Stewart On ClimateGate] see below (too bad JS got punked on</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;---</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">see palast bbb</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">palast bbb:&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Hysteria Factory...</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Oops. He’s telling a United States attorney to indict citizens, and attacking his failure to “move” when the senator tells him too.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">I asked the prosecutor if Rove had him removed as punishment for not bringing the fake cases. “If his intent was, ‘look what happened with Iglesias,’ if that was his intent, he’s in big trouble. That is"obstruction of justice, one classic example.”</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Iglesias was screwing them bad. The captain and eight other prosecutors were getting all precious about bringing bogus cases. That was undermining the GOP’s attempt to obtain new voter ID laws. The failure to find illegal voters put the lie to their campaign to prove the nation’s top voter registration organization, ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), had registered fraudulent voters. Getting ACORN was Republican operative Pat Rogers’ obsession, which he made into a national cause of the GOP and other politicians in the White Caucus as lawyer for the “nonpartisan” American Center for Voting Rights. It should have been called, American Center Against Voting. Everything the group proposed would cut the number of citizens voting by millions.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">I wanted to ask Rogers why he brought in Rove and why he had Captain Iglesias gunned down. But Rogers didn’t want to answer my formal request for BBC TV. But I figured he couldn’t pass up the free champagne they would pour at a GOP victory party. At the soiree to which I obtained press credentials under another name, I caught Rogers in half-sip with an unseen microphone that captured his personal reviews of my reporting skills. “He’s an asshole,” he told a crony before greeting me warmly as the cameras rolled.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">“Iglesias was not capable in his job.” Which was, apparently, hunting ACORN.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">“ACORN hired a collection of people who fraudulently registered persons who are not eligible to vote. ACORN is working for the Democratic Party,” said Rogers. (He wore a flag lapel pin the party handed to all the champagne sippers. They gave me one of the Republican freebie flags. I still have it in the wrapper. Take a look: Made in China.)</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Had Rogers unmasked a conspiracy between ACORN and the Democratic Party??covered up from them by US Attorney Iglesias, a Republican? Wow!</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"Conspiracy,” said Rogers mysteriously," is a loose word.” Rogers is fond of loose words. He’d recently held a press conference waving a list of a half-dozen fraudulent voters registered by ACORN. With his full house of illegal voters, Rogers made a huge splash in the papers. Then Iglesias made a total ass out of Rogers, by not busting even one.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">What the hell, even a jerk reporter like me will give Rogers a chance. I checked out all six of these ne'er-do-wells, these fugitives from justice. I began at a diner in Cerritos where I tracked Melissa Tais, notorious for allowing another voter with another signature to use her name so she and her confederate could vote twice.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Actually, what she’d done was fill out one registration form at an ACORN table, but never received the receipt. So, following the law’s requirements, she reregistered, this time signing while holding the form in her hand so the signature was a little shaky—resulting in two admittedly different-looking signatures.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">So, did she vote twice? No. County officials hauled her into a hearing and it shook her up so much she wouldn??t vote at all. And that’s what they wanted.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">But Iglesias wouldn’t play and ACORN continued to register Hispanic and low-income voters until 2009, when Andrew Breitbart (who has since returned to the bosom of Satan) blew up some cockamamie sting which had nothing to do with voting—and put ACORN out of the registration business. (ACORN’s one-time lawyer, Barack Obama, averted his gaze as the media jackals savaged the poor folks’ group, then paid for his pusillanimity in 2010 when Congress flipped color from Blue to Red.)</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The US attorney firings occurred just in time for the 2008 election. Iglesias wasn’t alone, of course. Tom Heffelfinger, Republican US attorney for Minnesota, was on the hit list for defending Native American voters from an attack by the GOP’s Minnesota secretary of state. Iglesias called his buddy in Arkansas who was taken down for similar pangs of conscience, but agreed to step aside without a fight so his friend, President Bush, could make his own choice.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">And Bush’s choice was...Tim Griffin.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"In mid-October of last year, the Center's president, Terence Scanlon, launched a pre-emptive strike against ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) and its voter registration efforts. Scanlon cast a shadow over ACORN's reports that it had registered over one million new voters. He charged that because of irregularities, the organization was coming under scrutiny by lawmakers 'in state after state [where] allegations are surfacing that ACORN activists are padding the registration books'</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"As a non-profit community-based organizing group, ACORN has been on the CRC's radar for several years. According to Scanlon, ACORN, with some 150,000 dues-paying members organized into 65 city chapters, 'is better known for public disruption.' Its so-called community organizing 'has relied on in-your-face confrontation,' including a 1995 demonstration targeting then House Speaker Newt Gingrich. 'In 2002 it burst into the Heritage Foundation to harangue welfare reform expert Robert Rector. Dozen of city councils and state legislatures have had to face angry ACORN protesters demanding higher minimum wages and more welfare entitlements. Banks have been pressured to change their lending practices or face ACORN charges of discrimination before regulators.'”</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Currently, CRC senior editor Matthew Vadum -- who describes himself as "America's foremost expert on the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)" -- seems to be carrying much of the weight of the anti-ACORN campaign through his blog, Twitter feed, and frequent appearances with Glenn Beck and other right-wing TV hosts.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Last May, Vadum told Beck, "ACORN is an immense crime family ... that has tentacles all though the United States, and now it's trying to spread to India and Canada and other places. ... They're engaged in racketeering. ... They break the law constantly."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"Something that needs to be explored is the roots of ACORN in the 1960s," Vadum continued. "It grew out of the radical welfare rights movement. And the idea behind that was that not enough people were on welfare and that you needed to pack the welfare rolls with as many people as possible in order to overwhelm the governments -- the various levels of government -- and cause social chaos. ... I guess you could say it was a Marxist-anarchist idea."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Vadum's latest entry at his CRC blog attempts to drag progressive filmmaker Brave New Films into his ACORN-related conspiracy theories. "Unwilling to admit it's an ongoing criminal conspiracy to defraud the people of the United States of America, ACORN has retained Bolshevik Brave New Films to do some of its dirty work for it," Vadum writes. "The leftist propaganda factory headquartered in Culver City, Calif., has launched a new website, DeFOXamerica.com, which is an effort to shoot the messenger. Fox is the only television network that has taken much of an interest in covering the ACORN scandal which some commentators say is bigger than Watergate. ... It??s not known how much ACORN had to pay Brave New Films, a 501(c)(4) advocacy nonprofit, to shill for it."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[DeFox America's Video on the attacks on ACORN is the video on the upper right-hand side of the screen]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Let's Take the GOP's Zombie ACORN Probe Completely Seriously</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The community organizing collective ACORN may be disbanded but that doesn't mean Republicans are finished crusading against its former employees and tying them to the left-wing-tinged Occupy Wall Street movement. On Monday, House Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa called for an investigation into New York Communities for Change, a group that works out of ACORN's former Brooklyn offices and is staffed by many of its former employees, for engaging "in fraud through its participation in the Occupy Wall Street protests." The basic ingredients of Occupy Wall Street, ACORN and fraud make for an intoxicating cocktail of right-wing preoccupations not likely to wear off. So let's begin by taking the allegations completely and utterly seriously.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The critical allegations against New York Communities for Change (NYCC), according to Issa's letter [PDF] to the U.S. attorney general in New York, are that it "solicited donations from union members under false pretenses and misappropriated those funds to support the protesters" of Occupy Wall Street. The allegations stem from a Fox News report published on October 26 citing anonymous sources working at NYCC accusing the organization of collecting cash donations for a United Federation of Teachers fundraising drive and giving the money to Occupy Wall Street.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Sources who participated in the teachers union campaign said NYCC supervisors gave them the addresses of union members and told them to go knock on their doors and ask for contributions—and did not mention that the money would go toward Occupy Wall Street expenses. One source said the campaign raked in about $5,000. ...&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Sources said staff members also collected door-to-door for NYCC's PCB campaign — which aims to test schools for deadly toxins —but then pooled that money together with cash raised for the teachers union and other campaigns to fund Occupy Wall Street.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Citing the Fox News report in his letter to the U.S. attorney general, Issa makes two primary allegations: 1) NYCC, a community organizing nonprofit, is funneling money to Occupy Wall Street 2) It's telling donors the money is actually going to a United Federation of Teachers fundraising drive.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">NYCC denies both allegations. “We have never given any money to Occupy Wall Street,” said Jon Kest, the executive director of NYCC, to Politico's Ben Smith on Monday. “It's just absurd.”</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">But what if Kest is lying? If money raised by NYCC is traced to Occupy Wall Street, could that be considered a crime or misdemeanor?</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Not likely.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In the state of New York, groups that want to raise money such as NYCC need to register with the Attorney General's Charities Bureau, a spokesperson at the attorney general's office in New York said. Upon registration, the group must explain how it will use its funds in a type of mission statement. If it wants to donate to outside groups, that must be disclosed and the outside groups must at least be vaguely aligned with the group's mission statement. Otherwise, it's a violation of New York state charities law. So does NYCC's registered mission statement jive with a donation to Occupy Wall Street? Fortunately, for NYCC, it does. Even if Kest is lying about where his group sends its money, a donation to Occupy Wall Street (a movement that deals with economic and social justice) would probably fall within NYCC's mission statement. Here's NYCC's registration documents and mission statement, available for viewing at the attorney general's charities database.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The undertones of social welfare and economic justice sound awfully familiar to what a sign might read at an Occupy Wall Street protest. So it's not a tough sell to say the two group's interests are aligned. But what about the second allegation: that NYCC employees "lied about how the money would be used"?</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">According to Fox News sources, the lying was recurrent. “We go to Freeport, Central Islip, Park Slope, everywhere, and we say we’re collecting money for PCBs testing in schools. But the money isn’t going to the campaign," a source told the network.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">If those allegations can be proven to be true, it could spell trouble for NYCC, says Gene Takagi, a nonprofit attorney and director of the Nonprofit & Exempt Organizations Law Group. "It's the basic definition of fraud: you can't lie or cheat or deceit about raising funds or how funds are going to be used," he said. "Any individual committing fraud could be subject to criminal penalties and the state could revoke an organization's ability to raise charitable funds."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Still, the devil is in the details. "If they said they were using it for a particular drive and part of that drive is consistent with raising money for Occupy Wall Street, you would say that they hadn't committed fraud," he said. "But if there's no reasonable way the drives are correlated, you could say it would be worth investigating."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Whether U.S. attorney Loretta Lynch of the Eastern District of New York takes Issa up on his request for an investigation is far from certain. "I have no comment as it is a matter of policy that we do not confirm/deny or discuss investigations," said Lynch's spokesman in a statement.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Experts we spoke with said they would be surprised if a fraud case was pursued, given the small amount of money reportedly involved. (The Fox News source said that only $5,000 was raised in the fundraising drive in question.)</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"For $5,000, I'm not sure that's something that the DA would pursue," said Takagi. Cliff Perlman a partner at the New York-city based law firm Perlman & Perlman, which specializes in nonprofit law, agreed. "In my experience, the U.S. attorney and the district attorney don't prosecute cases for those small numbers. It's really hard to get the government to intervene."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2011/11/lets-take-gops-zombie-acorn-probe-completely-seriously-second/44727/</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">succeeded by https://www.facebook.com/accesf</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">---</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Fox Effect:</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Color of change boycott GB when he said BO racist (van jones fdr)</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">GB--> BO'R, Cornyn, bond, mike pense</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Several GB listners killed cops, went after pols 152- &nbsp;aclu and Tides targeted</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">asked for dirt on sunstein, mark lloyd and carol browner</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN hist 1970, to broaden efforts beyond welfare recip, created housing unit that helped 45k ppl, rehab 750 homes [// habitat??]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">fdr bro embezled, ret $ but not reported to law.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">1992 BO worked w.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">no real fraud; sometimes canvassers made up fake reg for $, but law some places requires ALL to be turned in.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Fox news blamed acorn for subprime &nbsp;161</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">BREIBART started at E!Entertinament New, then drudge; used okeefe vids to launch Big Gov't, said it wd change dir of politics in US</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">may 8 tp sept 18, 09 beck and hannity referred to acorn 1502x &nbsp;p163 (vs ney and JA 62 x) 163 halliburton 43, Blackwater 4x</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">GB 1Kx segments on acorn</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">one acorn staffer spotted put on, so she told o'keefe she'd killed husband, picked up by fox (not checked)</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">demo led house defunded acorn 345-75, sen 85-15</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">METHOD: 1 activist lie, 2 massive coverage 3) attack other media for not covering 4) mainstream media picks up &nbsp;5 media critics praise fox &nbsp;6) story falls apart after damage done 168-9</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACORN_2009_undercover_videos_controversy</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">matt t breitbart obit:&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Furthermore, the ACORN videos made by Breitbart and his two young acolytes, Hannah Giles and James O’Keefe – it’s hard not to see the inspired humor behind their elaborate stunt. And anyone who’s heard their proposals before ACORN staffers to bring underage girls over the border as part of a white-(or nonwhite-) slaving startup firm, and doesn’t think the ACORN responses (or non-responses, as it were) were shocking, they’re deluding themselves. In the Baltimore office, they ran the whole underage hooker-den spiel past an ACORN staffer, and got the following response: "You are gonna use three of them – they are gonna be under 16, so you is eligible to get child tax credit and additional child tax credit."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">That is seriously messed up material. Did they edit the videos heavily? Hell yes. Did they make ACORN’s behavior out to be a lot worse than it was? Absolutely. But there’s no way to watch the raw footage and not grasp how totally nuts some of this ACORN "counseling" was. We have to give Breitbart that.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/andrew-breitbart-death-of-a-douche-20120301#ixzz1pJAXtUid</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">October 15, 2008</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Republicans continued the drumbeat of allegations against ACORN on Tuesday. Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign, the Republican National Committee and others accuse the grassroots group of widespread voter registration fraud. It's the latest, and most bitter, battle in a long conflict between conservatives and ACORN.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN, which stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, makes no secret of its progressive tilt. Its top job isn't CEO, it's chief organizer.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"We're like a community union," says Bertha Lewis, the interim chief organizer. "Our folks are low and moderate income. And we've been doing the fight on bread-and-butter issues for 38 years."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;[see above, BLAMED for crash]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Those bread-and-butter issues have recently included predatory lending and mortgages. Not long ago, ACORN forced Countrywide Financial into an agreement to help homeowners trapped in their subprime loans. In 1996, it led a campaign in Philadelphia to stop Pennsylvania from selling liquor stores to raise money for sports arenas.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"We have huge needs around education, around housing, around jobs programs, around social services," Bruce Dorpalen of ACORN Housing said at the time. "And to devote that kind of money to sports stadiums is just wrong."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">At a 2006 rally in Miami, ACORN featured a friend who now seems surprising: McCain. As a senator, he was pushing an immigration reform bill supported by ACORN and other progressive groups. ACORN members waved "McCain '08" signs at the rally as McCain said, "What makes America special is what's in this room tonight. That's what makes America special."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Now, McCain's campaign has accused ACORN of flooding America's polling places with illegal voters. The campaign and the RNC also have played up Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's ties to ACORN.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Obama responded Tuesday, calling his relationship to the group "pretty straightforward."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In 1995, Obama said, he represented ACORN in a lawsuit against the state of Illinois. "My partner in that representation was the U.S. Justice Department, in having Illinois implement what was called the motor voter law, to make sure that people could go to DMVs and driver's license facilities to get registered. It wasn't being implemented," he said.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">There are other connections that conservatives have highlighted. Obama ran a voter-registration project in Chicago in 1992 under the banner of Project Vote, and years later, the national Project Vote affiliated with ACORN. Earlier this year, his presidential campaign indirectly paid ACORN more than $800,000 for campaign work in the primaries. And ACORN's political action committee has endorsed Obama.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">But conservatives have been after ACORN for years.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"It is an organization that has a very outsized role in the democratic process," says Tim Miller of the business-backed Employment Policies Institute, which produced a 2006 report titled "Rotten ACORN, America's Bad Seed."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Miller points to the ouster of ACORN's founder earlier this year after the controller, the founder's brother, had embezzled nearly a million dollars.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"When you think about a truly transparent organization, there would never be any way somebody could embezzle such a large amount," he says.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Employment Policies Institute also criticizes ACORN's organizational structure. ACORN has dozens of subsidiaries. Some get federal funds. Some get money from charities such as the liberal Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the not-so-liberal Bank of America Charitable Foundation.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Miller says ACORN moves money around among the subsidiaries. He says it "essentially gives them a cloak that prevents people from seeing really how they're spending money that comes, in some cases, from the taxpayers, in other cases, comes from members of their organization who pay dues."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">But right now, voter fraud is the GOP's top campaign message. The Republican National Committee produced an online ad called "ACORN Chicago" that reads: "Nationwide voter fraud. Barack Obama. Bad judgment. Blind ambition. Too risky for America."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Lewis, ACORN's chief organizer, says the group's profile has never been so high. "This election, this linking us to Obama in order to try to damage him, that's a great opportunity," she says.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Will Evans of the Center for Investigative Reporting contributed to this piece.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">breitbart: &nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The ACORN "document dump"</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Breitbart announces Dumpster-diving "evidentiary phase" of ACORN "scandal." In a November 23, 2009, BigGovernment.com entry, Breitbart announced the existence of "20,000 deeply sensitive and highly political documents discovered in the dumpster behind ACORN in San Diego on October 9, nine days after ACORN was announced to be under state investigation." Breitbart added: "Some might call that 'obstruction of justice.' "</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">That same day, Derrick Roach, a San Diego-area private investigator, posted an entry on BigGovernment.com announcing that it was he who had retrieved the documents, which he said "were irresponsibly and brazenly dumped in a public dumpster, without considering laws and regulations as to how sensitive information should be treated." Roach also posted a YouTube video shot on "the evening of the document dump" that, in his words, "shows ACORN operatives clearly engaged in some kind of discussion -- likely related to the activities of that evening."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"Deeply sensitive" documents mainly trash. &nbsp;Despite claims of "obstruction of justice," neither Breitbart nor Roach offered any evidence that the documents they took from the trash bin behind ACORN's San Diego office had anything to with California Attorney General Jerry Brown's reported investigation into ACORN. Indeed, the limited selection of documents they posted online included a food stamp application, a canvassing form, and redacted documents presumably containing an employee's tax and personal information.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">NBC Los Angeles reported on November 23, 2009, that Amy Schur of ACORN's California office stated of the discarded documents: "In early October, when our San Diego staff were doing an office clean-up in preparation for a major 10-station phone bank program being set up in our offices, it appears that included in the piles of garbage being thrown out may have been some documents containing private information." Schur further stated: "Our files were not part of the scope of the visit by the Attorney General's office, and the majority of what was thrown out was junk -- old leaflets, newsletters, etc... It looks like our staff were careless and some documents with personal information were included in the piles of garbage."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">----</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-atlas/fake-acorn-pimp-pleads-gu_b_591708.html</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>..very good art'l:</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">O'Keefe's tapes were misleading, doctored, and edited, yet reported as fact by the right wing press as well as CNN, the Washington Post, and the New York Times, and now the New Yorker.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">O'Keefe never posed as a pimp when he talked to ACORN staffers. He presented himself as a friend, or boyfriend, or a colleague of Giles, who was posing as the prostitute. O'Keefe wore a dress shirt and Khakis when he entered ACORN offices, and later spliced in shots of himself wearing the pimp outfit in the final videos to make it appear that he had worn them in the meetings with ACORN. To sensationalize the tape, O'Keefe dressed up in cartoonish pimp garb for the bumpers shown on television. The outlandish costume aimed to make ACORN's African-American intake staff look like buffoons. Despite O'Keefe's refusal to release the original, unedited footage, the media would be duped into erroneously reporting or suggesting that O'Keefe pretended to be her pimp.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN's Baltimore office was just one of ten O'Keefe and Giles entered. In most of the offices ACORN's staff 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 on the duo's behalf.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Independent investigations of the incident by the former Attorney General of Massachusetts, the Brooklyn District Attorney, California's Attorney General, a federal district court, the Congressional Research Office concluded that ACORN had done nothing illegal, the tapes were doctored, and O'Keefe never posed as a pimp inside ACORN's offices. In an interview with the Washington Independent, Giles admitted that the images of O'Keefe in an outlandish pimp outfit were edited in later. While Mead conceded that the tapes did not expose endemic corruption at ACORN or any evidence of any actual wrongdoing by Baltimore employees, her piece left the overall impression there was something very wrong at ACORN.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Further, like so many other media stories about ACORN, you don't learn anything about the group, besides the scandal. Meade supplies just one fact; ACORN is a "community-organizing association." Was it an effective one? Is the group large, small, new, old? What else did ACORN do besides provide advice? Was it similar to other groups? Why did Breitbart go after ACORN? What is a community organizing association? What is the context for the controversy besides involving Breitbart?</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Mead does not report that several scholars say ACORN, a predominately African-American group, is one of the most effective anti-poverty groups in the country and that it had office in more than 700 neighborhoods of 70 cities across the country. Its 400,000 dues paying low and moderated income members successfully fought banks that engaged in predatory lending, employers that paid poverty wages, and developers that gentrified low-income neighborhoods. There's no mention that ACORN has strengthened our democracy by registering more than a million low-income, minority and young voters, the hardest to register groups in America. Many in the media got the story wrong, but only Jon Stewart (who had joined in the anti-ACORN chorus after the O'Keefe videos were initially broadcast) made a public correction. He devoted a segment on his January 27, 2010 Daily Show to making fun of O'Keefe's credibility and praising ACORN for doing "God's work."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Inaccurate reporting by the mainstream press about the accusations against ACORN began with the voter fraud controversy. For example, ACORN itself reported voter-registration irregularities to authorities, as required by law, yet 80 percent of the print and broadcast stories about ACORN's alleged voter fraud failed to mention that.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The voter fraud allegations and the O'Keefe videos led to ACORN's lost credibility with foundations and one-time political allies. Congress voted to cut off ACORN's federal funds (a tiny part of its overall budget) and to end ACORN's ability to provide free tax preparation clinics for the poor and to help Census workers recruit people to fill out the forms. Because of the pivotal role the video deception had in bringing down ACORN, the New Yorker should make a correction and perhaps even do some honest journalism about ACORN's success.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">I am beginning to believe that most well-paid liberal journalists, who are unfamiliar with urban issues and what it's like to be poor in a wealthy society, are quick to believe any story about an African American group screwing up.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Issa atack&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">-----</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">media matters&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://mediamatters.org/research/201107130050</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"scandal was proven" ??</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">---</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/taking_stock_of_the_acorn_sting.php</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Conservatives and Republicans have longed waged a campaign against ACORN, focused mainly on the group's voter registration activities. During the 2008 cycle, ACORN, by its own tally, helped register over 1.3 million low-income, minority, and young -- in other words, predominantly Democratic -- voters across the country. As Steve Staneck, of the conservative Heartland Institute put it to CBS News this week: "[ACORN] has no business trying to organize voter registration because it has shown time and time again that it cannot be trusted to do that."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">---</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Yesterday, TPM reported that 76 House Republicans want to officially commend the 9/12 tea partiers' march. Today, the Washington Independent unearths a similar resolution, introduced earlier this month, to honor the "fact-finding reporting" done by Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe III, the "government watchdogs" who filmed undercover video of ACORN.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) introduced the resolution to honor the "exemplary actions" of the young conservatives, who dressed up as a prostitute and a pimp and secretly filmed ACORN workers giving them advice on how to commit fraud. Giles and James "are owed a debt of gratitude by the people of the United States," the resolution reads.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The videos led to a vote in the House to de-fund ACORN, a large community organization that advocates for the poor (and a favorite target of conservatives). Because of that, reads the resolution, the sting videos "resulted in the potential annual savings of millions of taxpayer dollars."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Olson's managed to get just two co-sponsors for his resolution. The 9/12 resolution, introduced by Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), on the other hand, has 75 co-sponsors.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">FLASHBACK: 31 House Republicans Supported Resolution Honoring Alleged Felon James O'Keefe</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">January 26, 2010 5:19 pm ET — Matt Finkelstein</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Today, the FBI arrested James O'Keefe, the conservative activist who posed as a pimp and filmed the undercover videos that led Congress to defund ACORN. &nbsp;O'Keefe is accused of participating in a conspiracy to tamper with phones in the New Orleans office of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA). &nbsp;According to NOLA.com:</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Also arrested were Joseph Basel, Stan Dai and Robert Flanagan, all 24. Flanagan is the son of William Flanagan, who is the acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, the office confirmed. All four were charged with entering federal property under false pretenses with the intent of committing a felony.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">According to the FBI affidavit, Flanagan and Basel entered the federal building at 500 Poydras Street about 11 a.m. Monday, dressed as telephone company employees,??wearing jeans, &nbsp;fluorescent green vests, tool belts, and hard hats. When they arrived at Landrieu's 10th floor office, O'Keefe was already in the office and had told a staffer he was waiting for someone to arrive.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">As Dave Weigel notes, "O'Keefe had become a conservative media star since the ACORN sting." Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) even introduced a resolution praising O'Keefe and his partner, would-be prostitute Hannah Giles, for "their diligent investigative journalism." In a statement announcing the resolution, Olson said, "Hannah and James should be applauded for their efforts to root out corruption and abuse of federal tax dollars." He also claimed O'Keefe was "setting an example for concerned citizens across America."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://www.salon.com/news/acorn/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2010/01/26/okeefe</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>acorn cleared</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://www.salon.com/news/acorn/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2010/01/26/okeefe</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Just over a month ago, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes announced that his office had found no criminal wrongdoing by ACORN -- despite that infamous videotape produced by James O'Keefe III, showing staffers in the local office supposedly advising "prostitute" Hannah Giles how to avoid taxes. The prosecutor's findings predictably drew little attention from the mainstream and right-wing media that blared O'Keefe's videotapes so relentlessly last year, as if he had uncovered a massive scandal...</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">But with California Attorney General Jerry Brown's release of unedited videotapes of the ACORN "stings" in San Diego and Los Angeles -- which demonstrate clearly how editing distorted those events -- the Brooklyn probe takes on added significance. Just like Brown, Hynes said he had concluded that "no criminality has been found," and just like Brown, Hynes got access to the unedited tapes that O'Keefe's producer, Andrew Breitbart, has refused to release more generally.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">What did Hynes learn from the unedited tapes? His spokesman says the district attorney cannot discuss the case beyond the two-sentence press release sent out by his office. But a "law enforcement source" told the Daily News that the unedited tapes left a very different impression than the chopped segments that Fox News Channel aired so many times. "They edited the tape to meet their agenda," said the source, referring to O'Keefe and Giles.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">video&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/04/07/rachel_maddow_acorn_tapes</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">but he did say i have contacts</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/17/AR2009091704805.html?hpid=topnews</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Giles did not respond to phone calls and requests through Townhall.com editor Jonathan Garthwaite for an interview. Her father, Doug Giles of the radical Clash Church in Miami, had complained of what he called the evils of the Obama administration and its alliance with ACORN.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"What Obama's Town Hall Charade and Pam Anderson's Breasts Have in Common," Doug Giles complained of Obama's "rent-a-mobs" at a health care town hall in New Hampshire. He claimed Obama could "summon a cabal at the drop of a red fez," including "ACORN lug nuts ready to register Mickey Mouse" to vote.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Ron Robinson, director of Young America's Foundation, where Hannah Giles spent the summer learning about how to be a journalist from conservative media experts, said Doug Giles has reason to be proud of how he has raised his daughter.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">------</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">RWW</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">??</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/young-americas-foundation</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>YAF's "Conservative Speakers Program"</b> helps students bring controversial right-wing speakers to college campuses. Some of these speakers include: Ann Coulter, Alabama's Judge Roy Moore, Ward Connerly, Phyllis Schlafly, Ralph Reed, Christina Hoff Sommers, Dinesh D'Souza, David Horowitz, Oliver North, Edwin Meese III, Dan Quayle, Robert Novak, Patrick Buchanan, Jack Kemp, Newt Gingrich, Rep. Steve Largent, Walter Williams, Bay Buchanan, Bob Barr, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Michael Medved, Ben Stein and Kenneth Starr.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">YAF sponsors the National Journalism Center (NJC). Established in 1977, the NJC sponsors trainings for aspiring student journalists and helps coordinate internships and permanent jobs for its alumni at many mainstream news outlets.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">YAF holds a national student conference each year, bringing in speakers, educational materials, and providing seminars to help educate America's conservative youth. In 2003 their national conference guest speaker was Vice President Dick Cheney.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">-----</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://mediamattersaction.org/transparency/organization/Young_America_s_Foundation</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>YAF </b>sponsors guest speakers, such as Ann Coulter, Ben Stein, and Michelle Malkin, at college campuses across the country. The organization also hosts a number of conferences every year, which attract an array of prominent conservative speakers. Past speakers at YAF conferences include former Congressmen Newt Gingrich, Trent Lott, Tom DeLay, and Jack Kemp, among many others. YAF also runs the National Journalism Center, a conservative media training organization. In 1998, the organization purchased former President Ronald Reagans ranch in California.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;Armstrong Foundation<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$92,500<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">F M Kirby Freedom Center<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$10,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/30/2007</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Educational programs college level<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$10,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/31/2006</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">National Journalism Center<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$2,500<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/31/2006</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">National Journalism Center<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$2,500<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/31/2005</font></div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" face="Times New Roman" size="4">Educational programs<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$10,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/31/2004</font></div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" face="Times New Roman" size="4">National Journalism Center</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Educational programs in journalism<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$5,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/31/2004</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">National Journalism Center</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Educational programs in journalism<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$2,500<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/31/2003</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">National Journalism Center</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Educational programs in journalism<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$5,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/31/2002</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Youth/leadership programs<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$10,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/31/2001</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">National Journalism Center</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Educational programs in journalism<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$2,500<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/31/2001</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Youth/leadership programs<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$10,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/31/2000</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Youth programs; Leadership program<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$12,500<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/31/1999</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Youth programs<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$10,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>9/15/1998</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;Barbara and Barre Seid Foundation<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$2,500<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">General support<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$2,500<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/7/1998</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;Bill and Berniece Grewcock Foundation<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$73,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Undesignated<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$50,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2006</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Undesignated<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$5,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2005</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Undesignated<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$5,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2003</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Undesignated<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$5,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2002</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Undesignated<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$5,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2001</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Undesignated<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$2,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2000</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Reagan Ranch Historical Trust<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$1,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/1998</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;Castle Rock Foundation<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$105,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">General operating<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$30,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/31/2007</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">General operating support<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$25,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2004</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">General support for speakers programs on college campuses<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$25,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/1999</font></div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" face="Times New Roman" size="4">Support of the <b>Black Speakers Program,</b> which provides conservative African American speakers to campuses;&nbsp;</font></div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" face="Times New Roman" size="4">agency helps college students identify conservative speakers for campus<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$25,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/1996</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;Charles G. <b>Koch</b> Charitable Foundation<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$20,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">General operating support<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$10,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/31/2007</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Educational Programs<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$10,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/1998</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;Charlotte and Walter Kohler Charitable Trust<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$25,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">General operating support<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$25,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2002</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$37,500<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">General operating support<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$12,500<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>12/31/2007</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Educational Programs<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$25,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/1996</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;David H. Koch Charitable Foundation<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$50,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Concept Design Program Support<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$50,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/1999</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;Earhart Foundation<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$20,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">FM Kirby Freedom Center</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">For general support for the National Journalism Center during calendar year 2002<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$20,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2002</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;F.M. Kirby Foundation<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$1,835,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>??</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$90,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2007</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$90,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2006</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">General support<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$90,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2005</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Toward the Reagan Ranch Outreach Center-$50,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$135,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2004</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">General support<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$85,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2003</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">General support<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$75,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2002</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">General support<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$75,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2001</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">General support<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$65,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2000</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">General support<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$65,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/1999</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Toward the retirement of Young America's Foundation debt in its acquisition of Rancho del Cielo-$1,000,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$1,065,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/1998</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;JM Foundation<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$65,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Toward educational activities for students at Rancho del Cielo and the Reagan Ranch Center<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$25,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2004</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">No purpose given.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$25,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/2001</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">To support a national lecture series<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$15,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/1996</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;John M. Olin Foundation<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$70,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">A program of lectures to promote President Reagan's legacy<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$25,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/1999</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The promotion of an annual study of college courses<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$20,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/1998</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">To support a lecture tour by Forrest McDonald and Russell Kirk on the bicentennial of the Constitution<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$25,000<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>1/1/1986</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>$159,700</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN</b>) was a collection of community-based organizations in the United States that advocated for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues. ACORN had over 400,000 members and more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters[3] in over 100 cities across the U.S.,[4] as well as in Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and Peru.[5] ACORN was founded in 1970 by Wade Rathke and Gary Delgado.[6] Maude Hurd has been National President since 1990; Bertha Lewis was appointed CEO in 2008.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">ACORN's priorities have included: better housing and wages for the poor, more community development investment from banks and governments, better public schools, and other social justice issues.</span> ACORN pursued these goals through demonstration, negotiation, lobbying for legislation, and voter participation.[7] ACORN was composed of a number of legally distinct non-profit entities including a nationwide umbrella organization established as a 501(c)(4) that performed lobbying; local chapters established as 501(c)(3) nonpartisan charities; and the ACORN Housing Corporation. These entities supported labor-oriented causes.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>During the 2006 mid-term elections, political controversy emerged over voter registration fraud </b>by four ACORN employees.[8] In 2009, selectively edited videos were released by two conservative activists using a hidden camera to elicit damaging responses from low-level ACORN employees that appeared to advise them how to hide prostitution activities and avoid taxes.[9] This created a nationwide controversy resulting in a loss of funding from government and private donors</span>.[10][11][12]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">By March 2010, 15 of ACORN's 30 state chapters had closed and at least two others had severed ties with ACORN</span>.[10] On March 22, 2010, ACORN announced it was closing its remaining affiliated state chapters and disbanding due to falling revenue.[13] On December 11, 2009, a federal judge in New York, Nina Gershon, ruled that Congress had violated the Constitution when it passed a resolution barring ACORN from receiving federal funds.[14] <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">On August 13, 2010, a federal appeals court reversed that decision, citing a study finding that ACORN received <b>only 10 percent of its funding from federal sources, and thus the resolution did not constitute punishment.</b></span><b>[</b>15]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>On November 2, 2010, ACORN filed for Chapter 7 liquidation, effectively closing the organization.[</b>16]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Contents</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[hide]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">1 Issues and actions</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">1.1 Predatory lending and affordable housing</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">1.2 Living wages</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">1.3 Katrina relief</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">1.4 Education</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">1.5 Voter registration</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">1.6 Gun control</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">1.7 Home Defender Program</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2 History</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2.1 1970???1975: Founding</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2.2 1975–1980: Growth beyond Arkansas</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2.3 1981????1989: Reagan era</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2.4 1988?????1998: Focus on housing</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2.5 1998–2009: Building capacity</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">2.6 2010: ACORN disbands</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">3 Budget</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">4 Controversies</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">4.1 2008: Presidential campaign</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">4.2 2008-2009: Investigation of embezzlement</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">4.3 2009: Undercover videos controversy</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">4.4 The Defund ACORN Act</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">4.5 ACORN name changes</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">5 References</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">6 Bibliography</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">7 External links</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] Issues and actions</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] Predatory lending and affordable housing</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN investigates complaints against companies accused of predatory lending practices. ACORN also works to support strict state laws against predatory practices, organizes against foreclosure rescue scams, and steers borrowers toward loan counseling;[17] Following a three-year campaign, Household International (now owned by HSBC Holdings and renamed HSBC Finance Corporation), one of the largest subprime lenders in the country, and ACORN announced on November 25, 2003 a proposed settlement of a 2002 national class-action lawsuit brought by ACORN. The settlement created a $72 million foreclosure avoidance program to provide relief to household borrowers who are at risk of losing their homes.[17] The settlement came on the heels of an earlier $484 million settlement between Household, Attorneys General, and bank regulators from all 50 US states.[18]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN and its affiliates advocate for affordable housing by urging the development, rehabilitation and establishment of housing trust funds at the local, state, and federal levels.[19] The group also pushes for enforcement of affordable-housing requirements for developers and promotes programs to help homeowners repair their homes and organize tenant demands.[19] An ACORN official voiced support for a proposal Hillary Clinton made during the presidential primary election to create a federal fund for distressed homeowners.[20]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] Living wages</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Living wage ordinances require private businesses that do business with the government to pay their workers a wage that enables them to afford basic necessities. ACORN has helped pass local living wage laws in 15 cities including Chicago, Oakland, Denver, and New York City. ACORN maintains a website that provides strategic and logistical assistance to organizations nationwide.[citation needed]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>[edit] Katrina relief</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN members across the country, particularly in the Gulf region, have organized fund-raising and organizing drives to ensure that victims of Hurricane Katrina will receive assistance and will be able to return to affected areas.[citation needed] ACORN's home clean-out demonstration program has gutted and rebuilt over 1,850 homes with the help of volunteers. The ACORN Katrina Survivors Association formed in the aftermath of the storm is the first nationwide organization for Katrina survivors and has been working for equitable treatment for victims. Displaced citizens were bused into the city for the New Orleans primary and general elections. ACORN says its Housing Services have helped more than 2,000 homeowners affected by the storm and is an official planner working with the city on reconstruction.[21]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] Education</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">ACORN pushes education reform usually in the form of organizing neighborhood groups and "community" or "ACORN schools". In Chicago, </span>ACORN has advocated for a certified teacher to be in every classroom. In California, ACORN has documented the need for textbooks and school repairs. ACORN works with teachers unions to get money for school construction and more funding for schools.[22] ACORN also supports school reform and the "creation of alternative public schools" such as charter schools.[22][23] ACORN opposed the privatization of some NYC schools, favoring its own Charter School plan.[24] The ACORN model for schools emphasizes small classes, parent involvement, qualified teachers and "community-oriented curricula".[23]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>[edit] Voter registration</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN has conducted large-scale voter registration drives since at least the 1980s,[25] focusing primarily on poor and minority citizens.[26][27] During the 2008 election season, ACORN gathered over 1.3 million voter registration forms in 21 states. Some of these registration forms were flagged by ACORN's internal auditors for review by election officials. It was estimated by Project Vote that 400,000 registrations collected by ACORN were ultimately rejected, the vast majority for being duplicate registrations submitted by citizens (which is also common at government voter registration services according to reports on the National Voter Registration Act by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission). An unknown number of registrations were fraudulent, but Project Vote estimated that only a few percent were based on past years and samples from some drives in 2008.[28] No official in states where voter registration drives were conducted have come forward with substantial numbers of fraudulent registrations. It was estimated by Project Vote that 450,000 of the registrations collected by ACORN represented first-time voters, while the remainder were address changes submitted by citizens updating their addresses.[28]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">As required by law in most states, ACORN must submit all registration forms collected by its workers, including those flagged by ACORN as incomplete or suspicious. Fraudulent voter registrations are investigated at local, state, and federal levels, and have sometimes resulted in criminal convictions for ACORN employees. ACORN has fired employees for fraudulent registration practices and turned them over to authorities. As of 2006, ACORN was improving its fraud detection and reporting procedures, and cooperating with authorities in efforts to prosecute violators.[8][29][30][31] Jeff Ordower, ACORN's Midwest Director, observed, "There is no scenario where those people on problematic cards would show up at the polls."[32][33] Of 26,513 registrations submitted by ACORN over a nine-month period in San Diego County, California, 4,655 were initially flagged, but 2,806 of those were later validated - a 7% error rate - compared to usually less than 5% for voter drives by other organizations, according to county officials.[34] In a case in Washington state where 7 temporary employees of ACORN were charged with submitting fraudulent voter registrations, ACORN agreed to pay King County $25,000 for its investigative costs and acknowledged that the national organization could be subject to criminal prosecution if fraud occurs again. According to the prosecutor, the misconduct was done "as an easy way to get paid [by ACORN], not as an attempt to influence the outcome of elections."[29][35] In August, 2009, a former ACORN field director in Las Vegas pled guilty to "conspiracy to commit the crime of compensation for registration of voters" in connection with a quota system for paid registration staff.[36] In November 2009, the former ACORN official, Christopher Edwards was sentenced to a year's probation and agreed to testify for prosecutors in charges against ACORN and against an ACORN regional director.[37]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In addition to registering voters directly, ACORN has worked to remove systemic obstacles to voter registration. In 2006, it brought a lawsuit in federal court in Ohio against the <b>Ohio Secretary of State, at that time Ken Blackwell</b>, and the Director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. ACORN alleged that, during the period that included the 2004 United States election voting controversies, the defendants had committed multiple violations of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. The district court dismissed the case, but that decision was reversed in 2008 by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.[38] After extensive fact discovery in 2009, the parties agreed to a settlement, under which the defendants agreed to implement several measures to facilitate registration of low-income voters.[39][40][41] The Dayton Daily News characterized the settlement as "accepting the thrust of [ACORN's] complaint."[42]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>[edit] Gun control</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In 2006, ACORN intervened on behalf of Jersey City, New Jersey in a lawsuit brought against the city challenging a local ordinance that limited individuals' handgun purchases to one gun a month.[43] The Hudson County Superior Court struck down the ordinance on the grounds that it violated the New Jersey Constitution's Equal Protection clause, and a state statute prohibiting towns and municipalities from enacting firearms legislation.[43]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On September 29, 2008, the New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division denied ACORN's appeal of the Hudson County Superior Court's decision striking down Jersey City's ordinance.[44]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] Home Defender Program</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In 2009, ACORN advocated allowing homeowners delinquent in their mortgage payments to remain in their homes pending a government solution to the housing <b>foreclosure crisis</b>. ACORN introduced a program called the Home Defender Program, intended to mobilize people to congregate at homes faced with foreclosure to "defend a family's right to stay in their homes."[45][46] One ACORN Web page advocated civil disobedience against foreclosure evictions stating that people in foreclosed homes should refuse to leave, and in some cases, move back in.[47]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] History</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] 1970???1975: Founding</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Wade Rathke, founded ACORN in 1970, after the National Welfare Rights Organization (NWRO) sent him to Little Rock, Arkansas as an organizer.[48] Rathke had previously dropped out of Williams College to promote draft resistance for Students for a Democratic Society. Gary Delgado and George Wiley were also instrumental in its founding. ACORN's first campaign was to help welfare recipients attain their basic needs, such as clothing and furniture. This drive, inspired by a clause in the Arkansas welfare laws, began the effort to create and sustain a movement that would grow to become the Arkansas Community Organizations for Reform Now, the beginnings of ACORN.[49]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN's goal was to "unite welfare recipients with needy working people around issues such as school lunches, unemployment, Vietnam veterans' rights, and emergency room care."[50]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] 1975–1980: Growth beyond Arkansas</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In 1975, ACORN created branches in Texas and South Dakota. On December 13, 1975, sixty leaders from the three ACORN states elected the first associate Executive Board and the first ACORN president, Steve McDonald, to deal with matters beyond the scope of the individual city and state boards. Each year thereafter saw three or more states join ACORN, building to a total of 20 states by 1980. This expansion led to multi-state campaigns beginning with a mass meeting of 1,000 members in Memphis in 1978. At the end of the conference, ACORN convention delegates marched on the Democratic Party conference with the outline of a nine-point "People????s Platform" which would go on to become the foundation of ACORN's platform when it was ratified in 1979.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN was active in the 1980 Election with the "People's Platform" serving as its standard.[51] It led demonstrations aimed at both major party candidates; demanded to meet with President Jimmy Carter; marched on the president's campaign finance committee chair's home; and presented its platform to the Republican Party platform committee.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] <b>1981–1989: Reagan era</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">By 1980, ACORN’s staff was stretched thin by the demands of meeting its expansion goals. Much of its resources and energy had been dedicated to the presidential primaries and national party conventions. ACORN launched squatting campaigns in an attempt to obtain affordable housing, and encouraged squatters to refit the premises for comfortable living.[citation needed]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In June 1982, ACORN sponsored "Reagan Ranches" in over 35 cities believing the president's focus to be on military as opposed to social spending. These tent cities</span> were erected for two days and were met with resistance from the National Park Service, which tried repeatedly to evict the tenters. The protesters remained and then marched on the White House and testified before a Congressional committee about what they described as the housing crisis in America. The last Reagan Ranch was held at the Republican Convention in Dallas in 1984.[citation needed]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In addition to protesting, ACORN also developed and strengthened its political action committees and encouraged its members to run for office. For the 1984 election ACORN wanted to endorse a candidate, setting a 75% support in polls among members as its requirement. No candidate reached that level, though there was strong support for<b> Jesse Jackson. </b>ACORN also established a legislative office that year in Washington, DC. During this period ACORN also focused on local election reform in a number of cities, including Pittsburgh, Columbia, South Carolina, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, encouraging the change of at-large legislative bodies to district representation.[52]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN grew to 27 states, adding chapters in New York City, Washington, DC, and Chicago, Illinois by the end of Reagan's first term.[49] During the 1988 Election, ACORN held its National Convention in the same city as the Democratic Convention — Atlanta, Georgia. During the preceding four years ACORN had strengthened its ties with Jesse Jackson and accounted for 30 Jackson delegates. It also sponsored a march at the convention.[citation needed]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN's membership grew to more than 70,000 in 28 states during this time. It increased its legislative lobbying efforts in Washington, DC, and strengthened its Political Action Committees (PACs). It also developed what it called the Affiliated Media Foundation Movement (AM/FM). Starting with station KNON in Dallas, AM/FM moved on to establish radio stations, UHF television and cable television programming.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> It also sought and received appointments to the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) which was formed to dissolve the assets of failed Savings and Loans resulting from the Savings and Loan crisis</span>.[citation needed]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] 1988–1</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">While some of ACORN’s most notable efforts were in the area of housing, it has counted health, public safety, education, representation, work and workers’ rights and communications concerns among its victories. </span>The 1990 ACORN convention in Chicago focused on the fast-breaking housing campaign. It featured a squatting demonstration at an RTC house. Later, ACORN members demanded cooperation from banks about providing loan data on low- and moderate-income communities and compliance with the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). ACORN fought weakening of the CRA in 1991, staging a two-day takeover of the House Banking Committee hearing room. It also established ACORN Housing Corporation to service people moving into homes under the housing campaign, rehabilitated hundreds of houses addressed by CRA.[citation needed]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The ACORN convention in New York in 1992, called the "ACORN-Bank Summit", was organized to make deals with giant banks. When Citibank, the nation’s largest bank, did not participate, conventioneers protested at its downtown Manhattan headquarters, and won a meeting to negotiate for similar programs.[citation needed]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN supported and lobbied for the <b>"Motor Voter" Act. </b>After its passage, ACORN members attended President Clinton’s signing ceremony. ACORN then pursued new registration laws in Arkansas and Massachusetts and filed suit in Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania as a result of the act. In 1993, ACORN also began a national campaign to fight insurance redlining, a practice that put the gains made in other housing campaigns at risk. The campaign targeted Allstate, hitting sales offices in 14 cities and a stockholders meeting. Allstate agreed to negotiate and signed an agreement in 1994 for a $10 million partnership with ACORN and NationsBank for below-market mortgages to low-income home-buyers. Travelers Insurance agreed to a Neighborhood and Home Safety Program, linking access to insurance and lower rates to public safety programs.[citation needed]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] 1998–2009: Building capacity</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN's subsequent activities have included its "Living Wage" programs, voter registration, and grassroots political organization.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In 1998, ACORN helped form the Working Families Party in New York which counts increasing the minimum wage as its centerpiece issue.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">A March 27, 2003 decision of the National Labor Relations Board found that ACORN tried to thwart union organizing efforts within its own organization by laying off two workers who were trying to organize.[53] The two workers, both field organizers with ACORN, began discussions with the Service Employees International Union and later sought to organize under Industrial Workers of the World in response to their $20,200 annual salary for a 54-hour work week.[54] The NLRB ordered the two employees be reinstated in their former jobs and that ACORN cease from interrogating employees about organizing activity.[53] ACORN has since strengthened its ties with the Service Employees International Union, which donated $2.1 million to ACORN in 2005,[55] often collaborating on issues (including health insurance costs and the minimum wage) and sharing office space.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In 2004, Florida ACORN helped to raise Florida's minimum wage by $1.00 per hour, by lobbying for a minimum wage amendment to be placed on the ballot. Over 1 million Florida employees were affected by the raise, which is adjusted annually for inflation. That year, ACORN became an international organization, opening offices in Canada, Peru, and beginning work in Dominican Republic. Since then offices have opened in Mexico and Argentina.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] 2010: ACORN disbands</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On March 19, 2010, The New York Times reported that ACORN was on the verge of filing for bankruptcy; 15 of the group's 30 state chapters had disbanded over the past six months, and other chapters (including the largest, in New York and California) renamed themselves and severed all ties to the national organization.[10] Two unnamed ACORN officials told the Times that the following weekend, a teleconference was planned to discuss a bankruptcy filing; "private donations from foundations to Acorn [had] all but evaporated," and the federal government had distanced itself from the group.[10] "[L]ong before the activist videos delivered what may become the final blow, the organization was dogged for years by financial problems and accusations of fraud."[10] "That 20-minute video ruined 40 years of good work," said Sonja Merchant-Jones, former co-chairwoman of ACORN's recently closed Maryland chapter. "But if the organization had confronted its own internal problems, it might not have been taken down so easily."[10]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On March 22, 2010, National ACORN spokesman Kevin Whelan says the organization's board decided to close remaining state affiliates and field offices by April 1 because of falling revenues.[56] Some other national operations will continue operating for at least several weeks before shutting for good.[57] On April 20, ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis reported that ACORN was "still alive. We're limping along. We're on life support."[58] Lewis said that ACORN's annual budget had been reduced from $25 million to $4 million, and that its staff of 350 to 600 people had been reduced to four.[58] Lewis explained the controversies had left a stain on ACORN, "sort of like a scarlet letter," forcing the group to spend money defending itself against "one investigation after another."[58]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] Budget</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Until the controversies of 2008 and 2009, ACORN had an annual budget of approximately US$25 million, with approximately 10% of those funds coming from federal sources, a smaller figure from state sources, and the rest coming from supporters and membership. HUD estimates that ACORN received $42 million since the 2000 budget year while the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee estimates that ACORN received $53 million in federal funds since 1994.[2]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>[edit] Controversies</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN was a nonpartisan organization, but its legally separate political action arm frequently endorsed causes and candidates, including the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.[4][59][60][61] ACORN lobbied every Democratic National Convention since 1980[62] and had members elected as delegates to those conventions;[62] ACORN also lobbied at Republican conventions.[62] ACORN was criticized by Republicans for its support of Democratic candidates and for its general support of political positions that are more often favored by Democrats.[59]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In a report released in October 2008, the U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General concluded that U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales fired U.S. Attorney David Iglesias for political reasons after Iglesias failed to prosecute a New Mexico ACORN chapter. The report said claims Iglesias was fired for poor performance were not credible, and the "real reason for Iglesias's removal was the complaints from New Mexico Republican politicians and party activists about how Iglesias handled voter fraud [cases]."[63]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">During the debate on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, some commentators claimed that a draft provision (omitted in the adopted bill) to give money to funds run by the US Department of the Treasury could potentially lead to money flowing to groups like ACORN.[59][64] When asked how much money ACORN or other community groups would get, a spokesman for Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank, said, "Absolutely none. All funds would go to state and local governments."[12] Critics also claimed that ACORN's complex organizational structure allowed it to escape public scrutiny.[65]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] 2008: Presidential campaign</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN was a political issue in the 2008 United States Presidential Election over allegations of conflict of interest and voter registration fraud. During the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary ACORN's national political action committee, <b>ACORN Votes, endorsed Barack Obama. </b>Obama, with several other attorneys, had served as local counsel for ACORN in a 1995 voting rights lawsuit joined by the Justice Department and the League of Women Voters.[66][67] Obama's campaign hired an ACORN affiliate for $800,000 to conduct a get-out-the-vote effort during that primary,[68][69] but did not retain ACORN for the general presidential election.[68][69]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Throughout the election season, supporters of Republican candidates portrayed ACORN's submission of invalid voter registration applications as widespread vote fraud. In October 2008, the campaign for Republican presidential candidate John McCain released a Web-based advertisement claiming ACORN was responsible for "massive voter fraud," a point that Sen. McCain repeated in the final presidential debate. Factcheck.org called this claim "breathtakingly inaccurate," but acknowledged that ACORN had problems with phony registrations.[70] The ads also claimed that home loan programs ACORN promoted were partly responsible for the sub-prime mortgage crisis. Newsweek and Factcheck.org also found these claims to be exaggerated and inaccurate.[71]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">A poll released in November 2009 by the Public Policy Polling organization found that 52% of Republican Party members it surveyed, and 26% of respondents overall, believed in a conspiracy theory that ACORN "stole" the election for Barack Obama. The Democratic polling organization commented that this was somewhat higher than belief in the birther conspiracy theories.[72]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] 2008-2009: Investigation of embezzlement</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The New York Times reported on July 9, 2008, that Dale Rathke, the brother of ACORN's founder Wade Rathke, was found to have embezzled $948,607.50 from the group and affiliated charitable organizations back in 1999 and 2000.[73] ACORN executives decided to handle it as an internal matter, and did not inform most of the board members or law enforcement, and instead signed an enforceable restitution agreement with the Rathke family to repay the amount of the embezzlement. $210,000 has already been repaid, and a donor, <b>Drummond Pike</b>, has offered to pay the remaining debt</span>.[74] The Times reported that, according to Wade Rathke, "the decision to keep the matter secret was not made to protect his brother but because word of the embezzlement would have put a 'weapon' into the hands of enemies of ACORN, a liberal group that is a frequent target of conservatives who object to ACORN's often strident advocacy on behalf of low- and moderate-income families and workers." A whistleblower revealed the embezzlement in 2008. On June 2, 2008, Dale Rathke was dismissed, and Wade stepped down as ACORN's chief organizer, but he remains chief organizer for Acorn International L.L.C.[73]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In September 2008, following revelations of Dale Rathke's embezzlement, two members of ACORN's national board of directors filed a lawsuit seeking to obtain financial documents and to force the organization to sever ties with Wade Rathke.[75] ACORN's executive committee voted unanimously to remove the two, "because their actions??such as releasing a confidential legal memo to the press—were damaging the organization."[76]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>In October 2009, Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell</b> claimed in a subpoena that ACORN's board of directors found that a larger amount—$5 million—had been embezzled from the organization. Bertha Lewis, ACORN's CEO, said the allegation is false.[77] On November 6, following up on the subpoena, Caldwell served a search warrant at the ACORN headquarters in New Orleans.[78] Caldwell stated, "This is an investigation of everything—Acorn, the national organization, the local organization and all of its affiliated entities."[79]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>&nbsp;2009: Undercover videos controversy</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Main article: ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy started in September 2009 when conservative activists Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe publicized selectively edited[80][81][82] hidden camera recordings through Fox News and Andrew Breitbart's website BigGovernment.com.[9] In the videos, Giles posed as a prostitute and O'Keefe posed as her boyfriend in order to elicit damaging responses from employees of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).[9] The videos were recorded over the summer of 2009 while visiting ACORN offices in eight[83] cities and purported to show low-level ACORN employees in several cities providing advice to Giles and O'Keefe on how to avoid taxes and detection by the authorities with regard to their plans to engage in tax evasion, human smuggling, and child prostitution.[84] After the videos were made public, the U.S. Congress voted to eliminate federal funding to ACORN. Although the resolutions were later nullified in a federal court ruling that the measure was an unconstitutional bill of attainder, on August 13, 2010, a federal appeals court upheld the congressional act that cut off federal funding for ACORN.[85][86][14][87] In March 2010, ACORN announced it would be closing its offices and disbanding due to loss of funding from government and private donors.[88]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On December 7, 2009, the former Massachusetts Attorney General, after an independent internal investigation of ACORN, found the videos that had been released appeared to have been edited, "in some cases substantially". He found no evidence of criminal conduct by ACORN employees, but concluded that ACORN had poor management practices that contributed to unprofessional actions by a number of its low-level employees.[89][90][91][92] On March 1, 2010, the District Attorney's office for Brooklyn determined that the videos were "heavily edited"[93] and concluded that there was no criminal wrongdoing by the ACORN staff in the videos from the Brooklyn ACORN office.[94][95] On April, 1, 2010, an investigation by the California Attorney General found the videos from Los Angeles, San Diego and San Bernardino to be "heavily edited,"[9] and the investigation did not find evidence of criminal conduct on the part of ACORN employees.[82][9] On June 14, 2010, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its findings which showed that ACORN evidenced no sign that it, or any of its related organizations, mishandled any federal money they had received.[96][97]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>[edit] The Defund ACORN Act</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In 2009, in light of various scandals a number of Democrats who once advertised their connections to ACORN began to distance themselves, as Republicans began to use ACORN to portray Democrats as corrupt.[98] In light of the controversies, the United States House and Senate, by wide margins, attached amendments to pending spending legislation that would temporarily prohibit the federal government from funding ACORN, or any agency that had been involved in similar scandals</span> ?? including money authorized by previous legislation.<b> President Obama signed </b>the bill into law on October 1.[99] ACORN sued the United States Government in the United States District Court in Brooklyn over the measure, known as the "Defund ACORN Act," claiming it was a bill of attainder, and therefore unconstitutional. Experts varied on the merit of the case. One argument was that while government funding choices do not generally qualify as bills of attainder, the lack of a non-punitive regulatory purpose for the legislation may give a court "sufficient basis to overcome the presumption of constitutionality."[100][101][102] The court issued a preliminary injunction that nullified the act.[14]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In response to an inquiry from a Housing and Urban Development Department lawyer, David Barron, the acting assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel, wrote a five-page memorandum concluding that the law does not prohibit the government from paying ACORN for services already performed.[99] On December 11, U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon issued a preliminary injunction blocking the government from enforcing its temporary spending ban, a week before it was set to expire.[103] The Government Accountability Office (GAO) opened an investigation of ACORN in December, 2009.[57] In June, 2010, the GAO released a preliminary report stating the investigation has found no sign the group or related organizations mishandled the $40 million in federal money they received from nine federal agencies.[104]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On August 13, 2010 the 2nd District Court of Appeals in New York reversed Judge Gershon's decision.[15] The appeals court cited a study finding that only 10% of ACORN's funding came from federal sources, and stated, "We doubt that the direct consequences of the appropriations laws temporarily precluding ACORN from federal funds were so disproportionately severe or so inappropriate as to constitute punishment."[15] The Center for Constitutional Rights, which had argued the case on ACORN's behalf, was considering a request for a rehearing by more judges of the 2nd Circuit.[15]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] ACORN name changes</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">As part of a re-branding effort by ACORN leadership, ACORN International changed its name in 2010 to Community Organizations International.[105] As part of the effort by some chapters to stay afloat by severing ties with the national organization, California ACORN changed its name to Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment,[106] New York ACORN renamed itself New York Communities for Change,[10] and an offshoot of the ACORN organization called Acorn Housing changed its name to Affordable Housing Centers of America[107] yet has retained the same tax and employee identification numbers that it held under its former name.[108]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] References</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Rutenberg, Jim (October 7, 2009). "Acorn Chief Denounces Air of ‘McCarthyism’". The Politics and Government Blog of the Times (New York Times). http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/acorn-chief-denounces-air-of-mccarthyism/?scp=1&sq=%22Bertha%20Lewis%22%20%22Maude%20Hurd%22&st=Search. Retrieved 2009-10-07.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b "Did ACORN get too big for its own good?". MSNBC. 2009-09-19. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32925682/ns/politics-more_politics/.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Michael B. Farrell (2009-09-16). "What is the ACORN controversy about?". Christian Science Monitor. http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/09/16/what-is-the-acorn-controversy-about/.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b "Who is ACORN? (organization homepage)". http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=12342. Retrieved 2009-09-15.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ What does ACORN do?, ACORN, http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=2617, retrieved 2010-12-03</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Walls, David (Summer 1994). "Power to the People: Thirty-five Years of Community Organizing". The Workbook. http://www.sonoma.edu/users/w/wallsd/community-organizing.shtml. Retrieved 2010-12-03.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "New Report Finds Widespread Local Use of Affordable Housing Program Being Currently Debated in Congress". ACORN (press release). 2002-07-23. http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=1139&L=0%3Fid%3D8144.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b "ACORN Workers Indicted For Alleged Voter Fraud". KMBC=TV. 2006-11-01. http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/politics/10214492/detail.html.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b c d e "REPORT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ON THE ACTIVITIES OF ACORN". April 1, 2010. http://ag.ca.gov/cms_attachments/press/pdfs/n1888_acorn_report.pdf.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b c d e f g Urbina, Ian (March 19, 2010). "Acorn on Brink of Bankruptcy, Officials Say". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/us/politics/20acorn.html. Retrieved 2010-03-20.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "Second Video Shows ACORN Officials Helping 'Pimp,' 'Prostitute' in Washington Office". Fox News. September 11, 2009. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,549241,00.html. Retrieved 2009-09-11.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b Ryan Grim (September 27, 2008). "ACORN Issue Fueling Bailout Opposition". CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/27/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4483168.shtml.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "ACORN Closing in Wake of Scandal". FOX News. March 22, 2010. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,589768,00.html. Retrieved March 22, 2010.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b c Lorber, Janie (December 11, 2009). "House Ban on Acorn Grants Is Ruled Unconstitutional". The New York Times: p. A12. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/us/politics/12acorn.html. Retrieved February 1, 2010.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b c d Hays, Tom. Federal appeals court in NY rules against ACORN[dead link]. Associated Press (via KTUU-TV Alaska), August 13, 2010.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ ACORN filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy; Los Angeles Times; November 2, 2010</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b "ACORN Annual Report 2003". ACORN. 2003. http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=8500. Retrieved 2007-11-12.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "Household Finance Settlement". Washington State Office of the Attorney General. 2003-12-05. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20060927065346/http://www.atg.wa.gov/householdfinance/facts.shtml. Retrieved 2007-11-12.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b "Affordable Housing". ACORN. http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=44. Retrieved 2010-12-03.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Clinton calls for $30 billion in mortgage aid to home-owners</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "Two years after Katrina, still fighting and winning". ACORN. 2005. http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=9703. Retrieved 2007-11-12.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b "School Overview". ACORN. http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=2660. Retrieved 2007-11-12.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b "Detailed History of ACORN:New Victories, 1995-2002". ACORN. http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=735. Retrieved 2010-12-03.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Mark Walsh (2001-03-14). "N.Y.C. Parents To Vote on Edison Charter Plan". Education Week. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2001/03/14/26edison.h20.html.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Christopher Hayes, The Nation, September 1, 2008, Obama's Voter-registration Drive</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Hastings, Deborah (2008-10-18). "ACORN controversy: Voter fraud or mudslinging?". Associated Press. http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-10-18-3995453887_x.htm.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "Furor over ACORN allegations gaining momentum"[dead link] Miami Herald, 2008-10-24.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b Falcone, Michael; Moss, Michael (2008-10-23). "Groups Tally of New Voters Was Vastly Overstated". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/us/politics/24acorn.html. Retrieved 2010-03-27.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b Ervin, Keith (2007-07-28). "Felony charges filed against 7 in state's biggest case of voter-registration fraud". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003806904_webvotefraud26m.html. Retrieved 2007-11-12.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Strom, Stephanie (2008-10-22). "Acorn Report Raises Issues of Legality". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/us/22acorn.html?sq=ACORN&st=cse&scp=11&pagewanted=print. Retrieved 2007-11-19.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Sheffield, Reggie. "Former temp worker accused of bogus registrations." The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Penn.), July 24, 2008</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Bill Dolan (2008-10-02). "County rejects large number of invalid voter registrations". The Times Media Company. http://www.nwi.com/articles/2008/10/02/news/lake_county/doc5399904569d23a75862574d600010e55.txt.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Bill Dolan (2008-10-23). "ACORN defends fraudulent Lake voter drive". The Times Media Company. http://www.nwi.com/articles/2008/10/23/news/top_news/doce273bd903d615e49862574ea00806d36.txt.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Hiram Soto and Helen Gao (October 16, 2008). "ACORN active in voter registration in county". San Diego Union-Tribune. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20081016-1250-bn16acorn.html.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Rachel La Corte (2007-02-23). "Reform group turned in 2000 suspicious voter registrations: County may make criminal inquiry". Seattle Post Intelligencer. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/304877_acorn23.html. Retrieved 2007-11-12.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ New York Times Associated Press, 2009-08-19.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Las Vegas Sun</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Harkless v. Brunner, _ F.3d _ (United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit October 28, 2008).</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "Federal Court Lawsuit Settlement Brings Ohio into Compliance with NVRA". Talking Points Memo. December 1, 2009. http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/project_vote/2009/12/federal-court-lawsuit-settleme.php. Retrieved 2009-12-13.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (November 30, 2009). "Federal Court Lawsuit Settlement Brings Ohio Into Compliance with National Voter Registration Act-Hundreds of Thousands of Low-Income Ohioans to Benefit". Press release. http://www.lawyerscommittee.org/projects/voting_rights/press_releases?id=0059. Retrieved 2009-12-13.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Project Vote. "Federal Court Lawsuit Settlement Brings Ohio Into Compliance with National Voter Registration Act". Press release. http://www.projectvote.org/newsreleases/442-federal-court-lawsuit-settlement-brings-ohio-into-compliance-with-national-voter-registration-act.html. Retrieved 2009-12-13.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "Editorial: ACORN suit gets good result for Ohio voters". Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio). December 10, 2009. http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/opinion/entries/2009/12/10/editorial_acorn_suit_gets_good.html?cxtype=feedbot. Retrieved 2009-12-14.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b Toutant, Charles (2006-12-20). "N.J. Judge Voids City's Gun Control Law". New Jersey Law Journal. http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1166448999875. Retrieved 2007-11-12.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, No. A-4443-06T2 and A-4708-06T2". September 29, 2008. http://google.com/search/cache?ei=UTF8&p=www.judiciary.state.nj.us%2Fopinions%2Fa4443-06a4708-06.pdf&fr=yfp-t-501&u=www.judiciary.state.nj.us/opinions/a4443-06a4708-06.pdf&d=S490IULURjvc&icp=1&.intl=us.[dead link]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "ACORN Home Defender Program". http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2749/t/3071/signUp.jsp?key=2134.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Bill Dolan (2009-02-19). "ACORN plans local action to stem NWI mortgage foreclosures". The Times Media Company. http://www.nwi.com/articles/2009/02/19/news/lake/doc853b6aa5c26aca0286257561007d5737.txt.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "Refusing to Leave: ACORN Members Step up Fight to Stay in Homes". 2009-02-13. http://acorn.org/index.php?id=12439&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=22521&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=12387&cHash=5ef36d5092.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Stern, Sol (Spring 2003). "ACORN’s Nutty Regime for Cities". City Journal. http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_2_acorns_nutty_regime.html. Retrieved 2007-01-24.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b Delgado, Gary (1986). Organizing the Movement: The Roots and Growth of ACORN. Temple University Press. ISBN 0-87722-393-9. OCLC 59256995 12134922 59256995.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ ACORN History acorn.org</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "Western Historical Manuscript Collection". University of Missouri - St. Louis. June 1980. http://www.umsl.edu/_{whmc/guides/whm0040.htm}. Retrieved 2007-11-12.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ www.altlaw.org[dead link]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b "Decisions of the NLRB, 338–129" (PDF). National Labor Relations Board. 2003-03-27. http://www.nlrb.gov/shared_files/Board%20Decisions/338/338-129.pdf. Retrieved 2006-10-12.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Willamette Week | ???The ACORN that imploded” | March 6th, 2002.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "The Wal-Mart Posse". The Wall Street Journal. 2006-10-18. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116113323291895978-search.html?KEYWORDS=ACORN+%2B+union&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month. Retrieved 2007-11-12.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Smith, Ben (March 22, 2010). "ACORN Folds". Politico.com. http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0310/Acorn_folds.html?showall. Retrieved 2010-03-22.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b Jake Sherman (December 17, 2009). "GAO Opens ACORN Investigation". Politico.com. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30742.html. Retrieved 12-17-2009.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b c Larry Neumeister (2010-04-20). "ACORN CEO outside court: 'We're on life support'". Associated Press. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100420/ap_on_re_us/us_acorn_lawsuit.[dead link]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b c Williamson, Elizabeth; Mullins, Brody (July 31, 2008). "Democratic Ally Mobilizes In Housing Crunch". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121745181676698197.html.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Katrina vanden Heuvel (2008-02-23). ACORN: Obama Gets It. The Nation. http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=289192.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ ACORN. "ACORN’s Political Action Committee Endorses Obama". Press release. http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=8539&tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=4&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=21759&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=8538&cHash=ff99d11068. Retrieved 2010-12-03.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b c "Detailed History of ACORN: The ACORN 80 Plan". ACORN. http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=730. Retrieved 2010-12-03.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ US Department of Justice Inspector General. "An Investigation into the Removal of Nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006, pgs 156-167 and 190" (PDF). http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/s0809a/final.pdf.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "Draft bill". US House of Representatives. http://www.politico.com/static/PPM41_ayo08b28.html. Retrieved 2010-12-03.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Peter Overby. "ACORN Has Long Been In Republicans' Cross Hairs". http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95696267. Retrieved 2010-12-03.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Stephanie Strom (2008-10-08). "On Obama, Acorn and Voter Registration". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/11/us/politics/11acorn.html?r=1&oref=slogin.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Barabak, Mark Z.; Seema Mehta (2008-10-16). "McCain, Obama duel in caustic debate finale". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-debate16-2008oct16,0,5385470.story. Retrieved 2008-10-17.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b David M. Brown (2008-08-22). "Obama to amend report on $800,000 in spending". Pitsburgh Tribune Review. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/election/s_584284.html.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b Bill Draper (2008-10-08). "Missouri officials suspect fake voter registration". Associated Press. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081009/ap_on_el_ge/voter_fraud_6.[dead link]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Novak, Viveca (2008-10-31). "The Whoppers of 2008 -- The Sequel". factcheck.org. http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/the_whoppers_of_2008--the_sequel.html. Retrieved 2009-01-23.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Jess Henig (2008-10-18). "ACORN Accusations". Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/id/164722/page/1.[dead link]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Public Policy Polling November 19, 2009</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b Strom, Stephanie (July 9, 2008). "Funds Misappropriated at 2 Nonprofit Groups". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/us/09embezzle.html. Retrieved 2008-10-13.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/us/17acorn.html?pagewanted=print</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ New York Times</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Pittsburgh News, Sports, Entertainment, Events - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Associated Press, October 6, 2009[dead link]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Carr, Martha (2009-11-06). "State investigators taking dozens of computers from ACORN office on Canal Street". New Orleans Times-Picayune. http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2009/11/attorney_general_serves_search.html. Retrieved 2009-11-06.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "Acorn offices in New Orleans Are Raided". New York Times. 2009-11-06. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/us/07acorn.html. Retrieved 2009-11-10.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ California AG Determines ACORN Broke No Criminal Laws FOX News; April 1, 2010</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Fake pimp from ACORN videos tries to 'punk' CNN correspondent CNN; September 29, 2009</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b "Brown Releases Report Detailing a Litany of Problems with ACORN, But No Criminality". California Office of Attorney General. 2010-04-01. http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/release.php?id=1888&. Retrieved 2010-04-03.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ According to the California Attorney General's investigation report, page 8, the recordings occurred in ACORN offices in eight cities: Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Brooklyn, Miami, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Bernardino.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Shane, Scott (2009-09-19). "A Political Gadfly Lampoons the Left via YouTube". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/19/us/19sting.html?pagewanted=print. Retrieved 2009-09-26.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Taylor, Andrew (2009-09-14). "Senate votes to deny funds to ACORN". Associated Press. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jxhq8CPN8LdLntDEDtE5NrEBQ2IgD9ANF3F01. Retrieved 2009-09-15.[dead link]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "House Votes to Strip Funding for ACORN". Fox News. 2009-09-17. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,551533,00.html. Retrieved 2009-09-17.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Hays, Tom. Federal appeals court in NY rules against ACORN. Associated Press, August 13, 2010.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "ACORN disbanding because of money woes, scandal". 2010-03-22. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100322/ap_on_re_us/us_acorn_closing_down.[dead link]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ An Independent Governance Assessment of ACORN December 7, 2009</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ ACORN Workers Cleared Of Illegality By Outside Probe</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ ACORN and the Ethics of Leadership, Atlantic Monthly, Dec. 8, 2009</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ ACORN Investigation Results, The Nonprofit Quarterly</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Damaging Brooklyn ACORN Sting Video Ruled ‘Heavily Edited,’ No Charges to Be Filed New York Magazine; March 2, 2010</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Newman, Andrew (2010-03-01). "Advice to Fake Pimp Was No Crime, Prosecutor Says". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/nyregion/02acorn.html. Retrieved 2010-03-07.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Madde, Mike (2010-03-01). "Brooklyn prosecutors clear local ACORN office". Salon.com. http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/03/01/acorn_cleared. Retrieved 2010-03-07.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ ACORN Vindicated of Wrongdoing by the Congressional Watchdog Office Huffington Post; June 15, 2010; John Atlas</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ "Preliminary report clears ACORN on funds". CNN. 2010-06-15. http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/14/congress.acorn/index.html.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Sharon Theimer and Pete Yost (2009-09-19). "Did ACORN get too big for its own good?". Washington Post. Associated Press. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/19/AR2009091902865.html.[dead link]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ a b Charlie Savage (2009-11-27). "Justice Department Says Acorn Can Be Paid for Pre-Ban Contracts". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/us/politics/28acorn.html. Retrieved 12-03-2009.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Kareem Fahim (November 12, 2009). "Acorn Sues Over Funding Vote in House". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/nyregion/13acorn.html?r=1. Retrieved 11-13-2009.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Kenneth R. Thomas. "The proposed "Defund ACORN Act": Is it a "Bill of Attainder?"". Congressional Research Service. http://volokh.com/files/acornattainder.pdf. Retrieved 11-14-2009.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Hans von Spokavsky (September 27, 2009). "Defunding ACORN: Necessary and Proper, and Certainly Constitutional". Heritage Foundation. http://www.heritage.org/Research/Legalissues/wm2630.cfm. Retrieved 11-13-2009.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Merchant, Nomaan (December 12, 2009). "Judge Blocks U.S. Ban on Funding for Acorn". Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126057881607388239.html. Retrieved 12-12-2009.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Preliminary report clears ACORN on funds CNN; June 14, 2010</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ ACORN International / Community Organizations International</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE)</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ Milwaukee chosen to pilot program aimed at foreclosures</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">^ An ACORN by Any Other Name Still Smells Like an ACORN Critics Say</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] Bibliography</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Delgado, Gary (1986). Organizing the Movement: The Roots and Growth of ACORN. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 0-87722-393-9. OCLC 59256995 12134922 59256995.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Swarts, Heidi J. (2008). Organizing Urban America: Secular and Faith-based Progressive Movements. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-4839-9.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Atlas, John (2010). Seeds of Change: The Story of ACORN, America´s Most Controversial Antipoverty Community Organizing Group. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press. ISBN 978-0-8265-1705-0</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[edit] External links</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Retrieved from "http://en<b>.wikipedia.</b>org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now"</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Categories: Organizations established in 1970 | 1970 establishments in the United States | Organizations disestablished in 2010 | Civil rights organizations in the United States | Consumer organizations | Community-building organizations | United States political action committees | Affordable housing advocacy organizations | Gun control advocacy groups in the United States | Immigration political advocacy groups in the United States | Nonpartisan organizations in the United States | Progressivism in the United States</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">-----</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ACORN plays a prominent role role in ?<b>?green commie cabal diagram by <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">AFP's Kerpin </span>(echoed by beck?)</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">??</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">===</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>The Right Isn't Only Trying to Take Down ACORN, It's Got a 25-Year Project to 'Defund' the Left</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">By Muriel Kane, Raw Story</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Posted on October 31, 2009, Printed on March 15, 2011</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">http://www.alternet.org/story/143631/</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" face="Times New Roman" size="4">When Michele Bachman crowed in September that the exposure of alleged illegal activity by the anti-poverty group ACORN was just the start of a campaign to "defund the left," she may have revealed more about current Republican strategy than she intended.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">“Defunding the left is going to be so easy,” Bachmann told the audience at a conservative conference, ???and it????s going to solve so many of our problems.”</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Senate and House had just voted to cut off ACORN's federal funding in what CBS/AP called "a GOP-led strike against the scandal-tainted community organizing group" that followed the release of video showing ACORN employees apparently endorsing illegal activities, The bills passed by lopsided majorities, with many Democrats joining Republicans, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told a news conference, "We have to have our own scrutiny of an organization with an allegation of this kind against it."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The initial Congressional defunding of ACORN was scheduled to expire at the end of October, however, causing Bachman to warn a bloggers' conference at the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation, "This is the biggest trick or treat. On November 1 the prohibition will lift."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>The Capital Research Center</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The idea of starving the Democratic Party of donations by defunding the progressive non-profits that form a central pillar of its support is not new. It goes back to at least 1981, when the Heritage Foundation published a set of over 2000 policy recommendations for the Reagan administration. According to SourceWatch, "One challenge, as Heritage saw it, was to counter the rise of its ideological opponents by whittling away their status as 'public interest' organisations and eliminating federal financial support for 'liberal' groups."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Capital Research Center (CRC) was founded in 1984 by a former Heritage Foundation vice president to implement this agenda by uncovering the presumably questionable funding sources of progressive groups. CRC's central assumption has always been that "a unified, sophisticated and well-funded philanthropic elite is dedicated to imposing on us the doctrine of 'progressive' philanthropy, doctrines that would reorder our political, economic and cultural priorities."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The CRC selected ACORN as a favored targed long before almost anybody else had heard of the group. In January 2005, Bill Berkowitz, who regularly reports on right-wing organizations, wrote:</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"In mid-October of last year, the Center's president, Terence Scanlon, launched a pre-emptive strike against ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) and its voter registration efforts. Scanlon cast a shadow over ACORN's reports that it had registered over one million new voters. He charged that because of irregularities, the organization was coming under scrutiny by lawmakers 'in state after state [where] allegations are surfacing that ACORN activists are padding the registration books'</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"As a non-profit community-based organizing group, ACORN has been on the CRC's radar for several years. According to Scanlon, ACORN, with some 150,000 dues-paying members organized into 65 city chapters, 'is better known for public disruption.' Its so-called community organizing 'has relied on in-your-face confrontation,' including a 1995 demonstration targeting then House Speaker Newt Gingrich. 'In 2002 it burst into the Heritage Foundation to harangue welfare reform expert Robert Rector. Dozen of city councils and state legislatures have had to face angry ACORN protesters demanding higher minimum wages and more welfare entitlements. Banks have been pressured to change their lending practices or face ACORN charges of discrimination before regulators.'”</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>Currently, CRC senior editor Matthew Vadum -- who describes himself as "America's foremost expert on the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)"</b> -- seems to be carrying much of the weight of the anti-ACORN campaign through his blog, Twitter feed, and frequent appearances with Glenn Beck and other right-wing TV hosts.</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Last May, Vadum told Beck, "ACORN is an immense crime family ... that has tentacles all though the United States, and now it's trying to spread to India and Canada and other places. ... They're engaged in racketeering. ... They break the law constantly."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"Something that needs to be explored is the roots of ACORN in the 1960s," Vadum continued. "It grew out of the radical welfare rights movement. And the idea behind that was that not enough people were on welfare and that you needed to pack the welfare rolls with as many people as possible in order to overwhelm the governments -- the various levels of government -- and cause social chaos. ... I guess you could say it was a Marxist-anarchist idea."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Vadum's latest entry at his CRC blog attempts to drag progressive filmmaker Brave New Films into his ACORN-related conspiracy theories. "Unwilling to admit it’s an ongoing criminal conspiracy to defraud the people of the United States of America, ACORN has retained Bolshevik Brave New Films to do some of its dirty work for it," Vadum writes. "The leftist propaganda factory headquartered in Culver City, Calif., has launched a new website, DeFOXamerica.com, which is an effort to shoot the messenger. Fox is the only television network that has taken much of an interest in covering the ACORN scandal which some commentators say is bigger than Watergate. ... It’s not known how much ACORN had to pay Brave New Films, a 501(c)(4) advocacy nonprofit, to shill for it."</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[DeFox America's Video on the attacks on ACORN is the video on the upper right-hand side of the screen]</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">CRC and its allies</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">For an organization whose mission is to expose the funding sources and organizational ties of the left, the Capital Research Center is ironically protective of its own connections. As a non-profit organization, for example, it is not obliged to report the names of its donors, only its total revenue -- which amounted in 2007 to about $2.5 million.</font></div></div>