Modern News

200,000 of your tax dollars went to the now scandalous ACORN organization according to The Hill. The Inspector General of the Department of Justice issued a report on Friday declaring the organization of “community organizers” received the money from 2002 to 2009.

The report was the result of a request by House Judiciary Committee ranking member Lamar Smith (R-Texas).

According to the report none of the money was handed over directly to ACORN, instead they were sent to affiliates of ACORN and organization tied contractually to the group.

From The Hill:

For example, ACORN received a $20,000 sub-contract to do community outreach on crime prevention in New York. The organization that contracted with ACORN has not released the funds yet, claiming that ACORN submitted reimbursements “outside the scope of the agreement,” including “fringe benefits” for the salaried staffer working on the project.

In another instance the city of Phoenix contracted with the “ACORN Institute” to receive about $9,000 to canvass citizens and raise awareness about a tax credit and a tax assistance program. The city hasn’t paid ACORN yet due to “poor reporting by the ACORN Institute regarding another project not related to DOJ grant funds.” Phoenix is trying toterminate its contract with ACORN.

The DOJ did not audit the funds that went to ACORN or its affiliates, but did conduct an audit of one of the organizations that contracted with an ACORN affiliate. That audit concluded that the organization “did not properly manage the grant and did not adequately monitor some of its 36 sub-grantees, including the [American Institute of Social Justice],” an ACORN affiliate.

The need for an investigation into ACORN is becoming pressing, and this report only increases that need.