ACORN's Nuts Funding Occupy Wall Street? Obama's Got Some Explaining To Do.

ACORN Connection to Occupy Protests Implicates White House

Douglas V. Gibbs, LA Political Buzz Examiner

November 6, 201
The radical "community development" organization that goes by the acronym ACORN never went away. As a community organizer, Barack Obama embraced the organization early on. During his presidential campaign ACORN was instrumental in voter intimidation and dubious voter registration practices for Obama. Barack Obama has had an intimate and long-term association with ACORN. The group has successfully kept its national profile low, except on a couple occasions where the organizations corruption was exposed momentarily.

The connection to Barack Obama, however, is undeniable.

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House Oversight Chairman Calls for Probe into ACORN Role in Occupy Wall Street

By Jana Winter

Published November 07, 2011

| FoxNews.com

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa is calling for an investigation into allegations that ACORN-related group New York Communities for Change "engaged in fraud through its participation in the Occupy Wall Street protests."

In a letter dated Monday, Issa, R-Calif., called for U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch of the Eastern District of New York to launch a probe into allegations first reported by FoxNews.com that NYCC may have "solicited donations from union members under false pretenses and misappropriated those funds to support the protesters."

In an Oct. 26. report, FoxNews.com quoted sources within NYCC who said that the group -- run and staffed by nearly all former ACORN employees -- was asking for donations for specific charitable purposes, including for the teachers union and PCB toxin testing in New York City schools.

However, those donations were being rerouted to pay for Occupy Wall Street protests, the sources said.

Issa requests Lynch to "investigate these allegations to determine if they have merit and prosecute any wrongdoing accordingly."

When asked to comment on Issa's letter, Lynch's spokesman Robert Nardoza would only say, "I have no comment as it is a matter of policy that we do not confirm/deny or discuss investigations."

A spokesman for NYCC did not immediately return FoxNews.com's request for comment.

Issa's letter quotes from the initial FoxNews.com report. In that report, sources described how staff members collected door-to-door for the PCB campaign but then pooled the money and sent it elsewhere.

"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," one source told FoxNews.com. "It's going to Occupy Wall Street, and we're not using that money to get schools tested for deadly chemicals or to make their kids safer. It’s just going to the protests, and that's just so terrible."

Issa also referenced a second FoxNews.com report, which quoted sources inside NYCC saying the organization had fired employees and shred reams of paper in response to the original report. 

Issa said ACORN's history of corruption is concerning, but what's worse is NYCC's fraud.

"NYCC misused the money of hardworking union members," he wrote. "NYCC allegedly tried to destroy evidence and hide the organization's ties to ACORN. NYCC allegedly has initiated a campaign to shred documents and intimidate employees to prevent them from discussing the organization's involvement in the Occupy Wall Street protests," Issa wrote.

"The alleged misconduct by NYCC, and the subsequent efforts to cover it up, merits scrutiny from the United States Attorney's Office," he wrote. 

Rep. Michael G. Grimm, R-N.Y., supported Issa's call for an investigation.

read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/07/house-oversight-chair-calls-for-probe-into-acorn-occupy-wall-street/#ixzz1d4EclbE3

ACORN heirs deny funneling cash to Occupy Wall Street

Former leaders of ACORN say they played a role in organizing a rally last month. | AP Photo Close

By BEN SMITH | 11/7/11 5:45 PM EST 

A top Republican today tried to link the defunct community organizing group ACORN to the Occupy Wall Street movement, demanding that one of Acorn’s successors be investigated for “fraud” for allegedly raising money for other causes and giving it to the protesters.

But while former leaders of ACORN say they support the Occupy movement and played a role in organizing a rally in support of it last month, they dismiss House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa’s charges that they’re behind it as wishful thinking.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/67793.html#ixzz1d4G73wyE

Cash for Clunkers.

'Clunkers' Critics Question Move to Extend Funding for Program
Senate Republicans are raising concerns that extending the "cash for clunkers" program would use deficit spending to pay for a program that, according to its supporters, has already met its objectives.

The cash for clunkers exchange program has turned lawmakers into victims of their own success. Now some senators are questioning why taxpayers should continue to foot the bill for something that, according to supporters, has already achieved its goals.

The program, approved in June, pays people to trade in their gas-guzzling "clunkers" for new, fuel-efficient cars. It has helped boost auto dealers' sales numbers, and it's gotten a heap of inefficient vehicles off the road.

But the program, which was set to expire on Nov. 1, has already spent pretty much all of the $1 billion the government set aside for it, leading Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to say that the "wildly popular" program should be extended with additional funds.

The House voted to give the program a $2 billion lifeline on Friday, and LaHood now is putting pressure on the Senate to approve the extension before it adjourns for August recess at the end of the week. He said Monday he expects it will pass.

A senior Democratic adviser told FOX News that Senate leaders hope to act on the extension later this week.

But there was never a mandate in the original legislation that said the program had to last until November.

"Program runs through Nov 1, 2009 or when the funds are exhausted, whichever comes first," reads the government Web site for the "clunkers" program.

The exhaustion of funds simply came before the expiration date. Republicans are suggesting it's too late to change the allocation now.

I just think this is a great example of the stupidity that's coming out of Washington right now," Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said on "FOX News Sunday," adding that the Senate needs to "slow this thing down."

"We estimated this would cost $1 billion," DeMint said. "Now they're saying we need $2 billion more. Our children and grandchildren can't afford to make these car dealers well right now."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has threatened to block the bill.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, in prepared remarks, said Monday that the lifeline request just shows how poor the original spending estimates were.

Though supporters are talking about pulling the additional $2 billion from existing stimulus funds, that hasn't quelled Republican concerns.

McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said that cash is still "borrowed money."

"They can say it's paid for, but it's paid for with a credit card. ... It's like making your minimum payment through a cash advance of another credit card," he said.

However, because the "clunkers" program was originally authorized at $4 billion -- not $1 billion -- some supporters had wanted to review its funding this fall anyway to see if more money could be allocated.

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