Bachmann Calls for Full Audit of ACORN Activities in Minnesota

Taxpayers need to know the full story when it comes to how ACORN has used government funds in its work.  But, while the federal funding ACORN has received is significant -- $53 million in direct federal grants since 1994, it also gets funds from states too.  Minnesota taxpayers, in fact, have forked over $109,000 from 1996 to 2008, in fact.

In light of the recent reports of ACORN’s problems enforcing ethical and even legal behavior within its organization, many states have launched their own investigations into how that funding has been spent.  I wrote to Governor Pawlenty last week to urge him to have an independent investigation of this matter in Minnesota.  The full text of my letter is below:

Dear Governor Pawlenty,

As you know, ACORN has earned a reputation with the public for extremely poor systemic controls that have led to persistent unethical behavior and repeated disregard for voter registration and other federal and state laws.   Recent videos showing ACORN employees giving advice on how to set up a prostitution ring as a legal enterprise by violating tax and immigration laws and abusing government housing grants have really only been the icing on the cake of years of flagrant abuse of the public trust.

I appreciate you taking immediate action to protect Minnesota’s taxpayers by prohibiting ACORN from accessing any further state funding, and I appreciate that you have requested the Minnesota Management and Budget Department to conduct “a thorough review of the state’s relationship with [ACORN],” but Minnesota must also take the next step to ensure Minnesotans that all state funds and federal funds used by ACORN affiliates in Minnesota have been used properly.  To that end, I urge you to appoint a special inspector general to investigate and fully audit ACORN’s Minnesota affiliates and the national organization’s operations within Minnesota so that we may gain a true understanding of how the organization has used taxpayer funding in the past. 

Amongst other serious breaches in organizational structure and legal compliance, an internal audit conducted by attorney Elizabeth Kingsley and reported to ACORN on June 19, 2008, found that internal controls at ACORN did not appropriately firewall the various affiliates and separate out its various non-profit and electioneering functions.  ACORN whistleblowers, including Minnesota’s own Karen Inman, have made similar allegations about “the lack of any apparent firewall between ACORN’s political and nonpolitical operations,” and the fact that funds “were comingled between various nonprofit and taxable ACORN affiliates.” (At ACORN, a reflexive impulse to cover up instead of investigate, Karen Inman, MPR, 5 October 2009) 

There is more than ample evidence in press reports from 2008 that ACORN’s affiliates played an active role in the 2008 election in Minnesota.  In fact, Anita MonCrief, another ACORN whistleblower, wrote in 2008, “During 2007 ACORN's sister organization Project Vote began operating what some would consider to be a national office out of Minnesota.”  The Star-Tribune reported, “More than 43,000 Minnesotans have registered to vote this year through ACORN.”  (The campaign trail: Voter sign-up sets off a furor, Kevin Diaz, 24 October 2008)  That same article also quoted Kevin Whelan, ACORN’s deputy political director, as saying that in 2008, “the group has hired more than 300 voter registration canvassers in Minnesota as part of a $500,000 campaign conducted mostly in the Twin Cities.”  It has been reported that from 1996 to 2008, ACORN and its affiliate, ACORN Housing, received $109,000 in state funds.  Given what Ms. Kingsley found in her audit of ACORN’s practices and what Ms. Inman discovered as a member of ACORN’s national board, a proper accounting of these state funds seems more than warranted.

Furthermore, Minnesota’s own Secretary of State, Mark Ritchie, and Minnesota Attorney General, Lori Swanson, have close ties to ACORN, which could contribute to an appearance of impropriety and taint any involvement that they might have in a full state audit of ACORN’s activities.  For instance, during his 2006 campaign, Secretary Ritchie was endorsed by the Minnesota ACORN Political Action Committee, and he received political contributions from them.  Attorney General Swanson has been questioned by a legislative auditor for her role in diverting funds from a settlement with Capitol One Bank to ACORN in 2006.  According to an article in the Star Tribune, about two-thirds of the settlement for $749,999 – which clearly was intended to skirt the law that requires any settlement funds of $750,000 or more go back to the state – was distributed to non-profit organizations, including ACORN.  (AG office queried about diverted funds, Pat Doyle, 30 June 2008)  And, ACORN’s Financial Justice Center graded Lori Swanson as one of only a few “A+” attorneys general in the nation in 2008. (MarketWatch, 5 October 2009)

A special inspector general would allow the state to delve into all of the critical issues while also removing any appearance of impropriety or partisanship from this important inquiry.  I know you agree that ACORN’s pattern of behavior is unacceptable and Minnesotans applaud you for immediately taking action to ban ACORN from receiving their state tax dollars.  I urge you to ensure that a full inquiry is conducted

I appreciate your consideration of this request and look forward to continuing to work together to protect taxpayers in the future.  Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions, and I look forward to hearing from you.


Sincerely,

Michele Bachmann
Member of Congress


Could Washington Actually be Seeking a Second
Stimulus Despite the Big-Dollar Failures of the First?

Unemployment is at a high that we haven’t seen in decades, and it’s climbing.  Our national debt and deficit are at record highs.  And, Congress continues to contemplate bills with trillion-dollar price tags, like its health care reform proposals.  So, wouldn’t you think another big-dollar “stimulus” bill would be the last thing on the agenda?

Unfortunately, it’s not.  Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are embracing a possible second stimulus package.   Furthermore, they are talking about getting it done by the end of the year.  If Congress wants to promote job creation and grow the economy, the way to do it is to give businesses the tools and tax incentives that will help them to rev up the engine of job creation.  Creating new government programs doesn’t do anything but grow government.


Bachmann Office Coming to a Town Near You

My staff regularly holds Mobile Office Hours at locations all across the district.  These are opportunities for you to come meet one on one with someone from my office who is trained to be your liaison with federal agencies.  Please bring copies of any paperwork that you might have with you when you visit.  Particularly, if you are having a problem with a federal benefit or program and have letters or documents that might help my staff get answers for you quickly.

Should you have any questions or concerns, however, you can always stop by one of my district offices between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm to talk to my staff as well.    

Woodbury                                          Waite Park
6043 Hudson Road                               110 2nd Street South
Suite 330                                           Suite 232
Woodbury, MN 55125                           Waite Park, MN 56387
651-731-5400                                     320-253-5931

You can find a complete schedule of my Mobile Office Hours on my website at: http://www.bachmann.house.gov/ConstituentServices/mobileofficehours.htm.

This week, my office will be in the following locations:

Tuesday, October 13th
10:00 am to noon
Washington County Library: Hardwood Creek Branch
19955 Forest Road N, Forest Lake

Tuesday, October 13th
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Andover City Hall
1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW

Thursday, October 15th
9:30 am to 10:30 am
Richmond City Maintenance Building
710 Main Street E

Thursday, October 15th
10:00 am to noon
Ramsey City Hall
7550 Sunwood Drive NW

Thursday, October 15th
10:00 am to noon
Stillwater Public Library
224 Third Street N

Thursday, October 15th
11:30 to 1:00 pm
Rice City Hall
205 Main Street E

Thursday, October 15th
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Lino Lakes City Hall
600 Town Center Parkway

Thursday, October 15th
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Benton County Government Center Commissioners’ Chambers
531 Dewey Street, Foley

And, please take a moment to visit my website (www.bachmann.house.gov) and sign up for my regular telephone town halls as well.  That technology allows you to speak with me from the comfort of your own home.  You’ll get an update on what Congress is doing that might impact you and have the opportunity to ask me a question about what’s on your mind.


Note: Please do not respond to this email, as this is an unattended account. If you wish to unsubscribe from this newsletter, you may do so by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of this page. If you wish to contact Congresswoman Michele Bachmann regarding a specific issue, please visit our contact web page at http://bachmann.house.gov/Contact/

VIDEO CLIPS:

10.07.09 
The O'Reilly Factor: ACORN's Work in Minnesota


LATEST NEWS:

10.13.09 
Bachmann Blog: New Stimulus on the Way

10.06.09 
Bachmann Blog: ACORN Faces Another Set Back

10.05.09 
Heritage Foundation: Property and the Pursuit of Happiness