DEMS BACKTRACK, SCRAP PLANS FOR PROBE INTO SCANDAL-TARNISHED ACORN

WHO ARE THE “POWERS THAT BE” THAT BLOCKED THIS CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION?

June 29, 2009 | House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

As questions mount about the scandal-tarnished Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) – a group that has received millions from the federal government, in spite of accusations of voter fraud and other illicit activities – House Democrats have abandoned plans for a bipartisan investigation into the left-wing “community organizing” outfit. Last week the Washington Times reported that Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) confirmed such an investigation would not happen, explaining that the “powers that be decided against it.” Who exactly are the “powers that be”? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)? Other Democratic leaders? The Administration? As the plot thickened, these questions were highlighted in a Fox News Special Report segment last Friday: Click HERE for Full Video HOST BRET BAIER: “House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers no longer plans to investigate the association of community organizations for Reform Now, known as ACORN.” “The Michigan Democrat bucked party leaders when he called for hearings on voter fraud accusations against ACORN. ‘The Washington Times’ reports Conyers now says, quote, ‘The powers that be decided against it.’” “He did not say who those powers are, however. A spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner says Conyers, quote, ‘has a responsibility to explain who is blocking this investigation and why. Is it Speaker Pelosi, others in the Democratic leadership? Who in Congress is covering up ACORN's corruption?’ A Conyers’ spokesman later said Conyers had been referring to him as the powers that be.” With a bipartisan investigation shelved by Democrats and accusations of voter fraud still unanswered, House Republicans – led by the House Census Task Force – are sounding the alarm about ACORN’s attempts to play a role in the 2010 Census. The Wall Street Journalreports: “Some Republican members of Congress want the U.S. Census Bureau to end a 2010 Census partnership with Acorn, the community organizing group that was hit by accusations of voter-registration fraud in the 2006 and 2008 elections.” “Acorn, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, signed up in February with the bureau to be a ‘2010 Census Partner,’ which includes, among other things, identifying job candidates, encouraging its members to participate in the count and distributing literature explaining the importance of the census.” “But in the wake of accusations that some former Acorn employees engaged in voter registration fraud in the 2006 and 2008 elections, the partnership isn’t sitting well with some Republicans on Capitol Hill who worry that Acorn could skew results. There’s a lot at stake since the census is used to dole out money to states and localities and to allocating seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.” As ACORN seeks to play a role in the critical 2010 Census, don’t taxpayers deserve a full look into how this group has operated and used taxpayer dollars in the past, particularly in light of serious accusations against it? Don’t the American people deserve to know who killed the bipartisan ACORN investigation – and why?