Hot Button

Open the books

Andrew Breitbart, James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles probably aren’t too upset that the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) filed a lawsuit against them. It would make great fodder for more videos exposing ACORN’s troubled ways.

ACORN is suing Mr. O’Keefe and Ms. Giles for secretly videotaping its employees giving advice on how to obtain federal funds to run a brothel, and Mr. Breitbart for posting the videos on his Web site.

After hearing news of the lawsuit claiming Maryland wiretapping laws were violated, legal specialists scratched their heads. By filing the lawsuit, ACORN has given the defendants the right to force ACORN to disclose a broad range of information related to the lawsuit through a process called discovery.

Fox News host Greta Van Susteren, a former prosecutor, wrote on her blog Greta Wire that whoever decided ACORN should sue was an “idiot.”

“They are going to get hit with interrogations, requests for production of documents, depositions, etc.,” she wrote. “And who will get deposed? Just about everybody! And if that discovery produces evidence of a crime? You can be sure that evidence would be fed ex’ed to the Justice Department!”

Mrs. Van Susteren said that if she were advising ACORN, she would have said, “Lie low and just hope the heat passes” and definitely “not file suit.”

ACORN’s attorneys are seeking $500,000 in damages for two employees shown in the videos, who have since been fired, as well as $1 million for ACORN.

Keep ‘em open

A day after ACORN filed its lawsuit, the Treasury Department announced that it would grant a request by Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican, and Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican, to investigate whether ACORN had illegally used federal funds for political purposes.

The Republicans specifically asked Treasury to look into Citizens Consulting Inc., which manages ACORN’s finances.

Unlike ACORN, Citizens Consulting is permitted to engage in political activity, because of its unusual tax designation as a “taxable nonprofit.” Miss Collins and Mr. Issa asked Treasury Inspector General J. Russell George to find out “whether or not ACORN/CCI transferred political contributions and dues, but failed to use procedures that satisfy federal and state campaign laws,” among other things.

“It is inconceivable that you can have one controlling entity [Citizens Consulting] with authority over all of the funding that comes through ACORN whether it is charitable, political or federal and still be able to sufficiently separate what money is being used for what purpose,” Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for Mr. Issa, said in an e-mail to The Washington Times. “CCI was created by ACORN for the purpose of hiding what money is being used where and for what purpose. They are wholly owned and controlled by ACORN - they are even housed in the same office.”

Citizens Consulting received some press during the 2008 presidential campaign, when the Wall Street Journal discovered that the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama paid Citizens Consulting $832,000 for voter turnout activities.

The two Republicans also have asked the inspectors general at six other government agencies to do the same. Those agencies are: the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Small Business Administration, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Federal Election Commission, the Department of Labor and the Election Assistance Commission.

Story Continues →