Judicial Watch Files Lawsuit against HUD to Obtain ACORN Documents

Earnedmedia.org ^ | September 24, 2009 | Jill Farrell

[JustTheTruth]

Judicial Watch Files Lawsuit against HUD to Obtain ACORN Documents

Seeks Records Related to HUD's Taxpayer Support of Controversial Community Organization

Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch, 202-646-5188

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 /Standard Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to obtain records related to federal grants provided to the controversial "community organization" Association for Community Reform Now (ACORN).

Judicial Watch filed its original Freedom of Information Act request on July 17. HUD acknowledged receipt of the request by letter on August 4th and granted itself additional time to process the request. However, HUD has not abided by its own extended deadline and has failed to provide Judicial Watch with a specific date by which it would respond, even after Judicial Watch agreed to limit the scope of the request to just seven states. (These states are California, Texas, Washington, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, and Louisiana.) By law, HUD had 20 days to respond to Judicial Watch's request. Judicial Watch filed its lawsuit on September 23, 2009.

Judicial Watch seeks the following records:

1. Any and all documents concerning money given to the ACORN and/or any of its affiliates (since January, 2000).

2. Any and all documents concerning any actions and/or disbarments against ACORN, for reasons including but not limited to abuse of grant money, misconduct, etc. (since January, 2000).

Over the last two weeks, the U.S. Senate has voted to deny ACORN access to housing funds, while the House of Representatives voted to deny ACORN all federal funds. The U.S. Census Bureau, meanwhile, has severed its partnership with the organization for the 2010 U.S. Census. The IRS also just severed a program relationship with ACORN. These actions were taken after videos surfaced depicting ACORN workers attempting to advise undercover reporters on how to evade tax, immigration and child prostitution laws. Most relevant to the lawsuit against HUD, are the videos depicting ACORN workers providing advice on purchasing a house to run as a brothel for underage, illegal alien girls.

"The Obama administration needs to come clean to the American people about its relationship with this disgraced organization, especially in light of President Obama's personal connections to ACORN," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "Given ACORN's scandalous record, the federal government has no business supporting the organization with taxpayer dollars. It is troubling, given President Obama's promises of transparency, we have had to sue to try to gain access to the ACORN documents."

Visit www.JudicialWatch.org to read our FOIA lawsuit against HUD related to ACORN.

[FlingWingFlyer]

And here we go!

I wonder how much of this money went out last year as "donations" to the BO campaign.

[raptor29]

Yeah, the great Judicial Watch. They are as phony as ACORN. All we hear is how much they are doing, how they are always investigating this and investigating that. And nothing ever happens. Phonies.

[MamaDearest]

Congrats to Judicial Watch, doing the job our nation's politicians refuse to do. Not a single one of them demanding audits from ACORN. Our elected representatives are as worthless as they come and no doubt any one of us could and would do a lot better job at getting at truth in government than any one of them or all of them put together. There are too many sleeze factors in any of them doing the job they're supposed to do - lobbyists, kickbacks, donors, and pressure from their respective political parties and the businesses standing to profit from the fraud and decadence.

[Windcatcher]

I’d bet money that the Rathke brothers have a nice, long paper trail of all the improper “benefits” Congress has received due to Acorn. The first rule of organized crime: one you’ve got a politico in your pocket, you never let him out.

[Jet Jaguar]

ACORN Ping!

FReep mail me if you want on/off the list.

[Parley Baer]

“And nothing ever happens”

You are correct. I have been following Judicial Watch for around 20 years and I have yet to see an outcome of anything they have filed.

[MamaDearest]

Yeah, the great Judicial Watch. They are as phony as ACORN. All we hear is how much they are doing, how they are always investigating this and investigating that. And nothing ever happens. Phonies.

I beg to differ. Have you search engined Judicial Watch victories?

Judicial Watch Victory, Illinois Senate turns over secret list of earmarks, vows full disclosure

Judicial Watch earned a huge victory recently when the Illinois State Senate finally released a secret list of legislative earmarks and then vowed to make public all future earmarks so the citizens of Illinois can know exactly how legislators are distributing their tax dollars. Judicial Watch has agreed to drop its lawsuit against the Illinois Senate in exchange for the documents.

[Tax Government]

Yeah, the great Judicial Watch. They are as phony as ACORN.

Please offer support for this statement. Imo, Judicial Watch is fighting the good fight, without thanks or support from most of us.

[raptor29]

Whoop dee do. These ineffective phonies have been collecting donations from well-meaning Americans for 15-20 years and they blow a ton of smoke about what they are doing. And then their big ‘victory’ is something that a FOIA filing could accomplish? C’mon.