Posted on 09/15/2009 6:51:12 PM PDT by markomalley
SAN BERNARDINO - The head organizer for California ACORN says a new video that appears to show a staffer at the organization's San Bernardino office is fake journalism.
The video, which was posted shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday on a Web site called Big Government.com, shows a female ACORN employee talking to a man who claims to be a pimp interested in establishing a brothel where underage immigrant prostitutes would turn tricks in order to raise money for political activity.
The woman, identified on the video as Tresa Kaelke, appears on posted footage to be interested in cooperating the plan. However, California ACORN head organizer Amy Schur said the video is a gross misrepresentation of what actually happened.
"In this video, there are two actors who come into our office and who were messing with us. And our employee was messing with them," Schur said.
She said that the complete and unedited video needs to be released to the public.
Schur said that in a moment not shown on the edited video, Kaelke asked the undercover "pimp" if he was joking and then proceeded to play along with the joke.
Furthermore, Schur said that Kaelke will sign an affidavit stating that she was not seriously entertaining the idea of cooperating with an apparent attempt to establish a house of prostitution.
"She (Kaelke) asked if they were joking and asked if they were reporters. They said they weren't reporters and they aren't. This is not legitimate news," Schur said.
Schur's statements follow comments from ACORN office supervisor Christina Spach, who said Kaelke was afraid of the "pimp" and "prostitute" who broached the prostitution ploy at ACORN's San Bernardino office.
The Big Government.com video identifies the "pimp" as James O'Keefe and the "prostitute" as Hannah Giles. O'Keefe and Giles could not be reached immediately for comment.
i hear there is more to ocme
So the unedited version is not out, and yet ACORN is claiming that in one of the edits their staff knew it was a joke? Hey, is that a pig flying by my window?
5th vid from a border state will be released on Hannity tomorrow night. Market ticker blog says that Beck has 48 hours of video. Two hours have been released.
SAN BERNARDINO - The conservative Web site Big Government.com has posted a hidden camera video showing an ACORN employee apparently agree to help a "pimp" and "prostitute" set up a brothel employing underage immigrants to help finance a political campaign.
ACORN is a left-leaning community organizing group whose name is an acronym for Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.
The group has come under fire in recent months amid published accusations of vote fraud and a recent series of videos in which ACORN employees appear to agree to aid in the establishment of brothels as a means to finance political activity.
The brothels are fake, as are the pimp and prostitute. A video posted online shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday on Big Government.com shows a man, who in narration, identifies himself as James O'Keefe.
O'Keefe reports that he disguised himself as a pimp, and his colleague, Hannah Giles is undercover as a prostitute.
In the video, which was taped Aug. 17, O'Keefe and Giles ask an ACORN employee identified by the pair as Tresa Kaelke about the prospects of using prostitution to pay for political activity.
Kaelke, on tape appears to show neither shock nor surprise that O'Keefe seeks to use hookers as a political fundraisers.
She says she has previously run her own escort service and goes on to express a point of view that vice is woven into the fabric of American politics. Kaelke says on the video: "You think every Congressman, every
legislator, do think that even Obama, our new president or any of them, ever, ever actually put down every single resource where they got their money?"
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The woman also claims on the video to have shot a former husband.
At ACORN's office Tuesday, office supervisor Christina Spach told reporters she was not authorized to comment and that an official spokesperson would comment later in the day.
"Just to be clear, ACORN in not in the prostitution business," Spach said.
Spach said she did not wish to be quoted, but did confirm that Kaelke is an ACORN employee. She would not permit reporters to speak to Kaelke and said ACORN employees do not typically make statements to the media, instead relying on their members to articulate the group's positions and activities.
In a subsequent telephone conversation on Tuesday, Spach said Kaelke pretended to cooperate with O'Keefe and Giles because she feared for her safety.
"She was in an office all by herself," Spach said. "She felt unsafe in their company."
Spach, who identified herself as Kaelke's supervisor, said Kaelke lied to the undercover bloggers because she was afraid and wanted to "come across as a strong individual."
"It was a defense mechanism," Spach said.
Spach said Kaelke was not a prostitute or otherwise in the sex industry and did not shoot her husband.
"Her husband is alive and well," Spach said..
ACORN's usual services to individuals include aid to people facing foreclosure, loan services and tax filing help, Spach said.
Jim Miller, a retired San Bernardino resident who is shown in the video, said he is not an ACORN member. However, he said a trio who he now believes was O'Keefe, Giles and another person did ask him about the viability of a San Bernardino brothel.
Miller told reporters that he told the trio that such a venture would be immoral and not likely to succeed. He said he did not notify police about the encounter.
As far as the video itself is concerned, Miller judged the Big Government.com piece to be an unethical example of journalistic entrapment taken against a group he considers to be a legitimate community service organization.
"I was flabbergasted that they would have such a thing in mind," Miller said.
Also in the video, Kaelke claims to have contacts with several Inland Empire politicians. One of those legislators, state Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod, has seen the video and was upset by the content.
"What is she (Kaelke) smoking?" McLeod said in reaction to Kaelke's taped behavior.
McLeod, D-Montclair, also confirmed that she met Kaelke on July 10 along with other ACORN employees to talk about helping victims of mortgage fraud.
The senator said she met with out of her obligation to speak to all constituent groups. She recalled that Kaelke took notes but did not speak.
"I asked her specifically why she wasn't saying anything," McLeod said. "She said she was taking notes. That was the only time I had ever seen her."
Another one of those who ya gonna believe moments.
But is Tresa still employed?
Drip drip drip drip. This young lady and man are heroes.
Keep dripping the video showing ACORN’s criminality.
Obama IS ACORN. SEIU is ACORN.
If they knew it was a joke, why play along for the length of time they did? Why not kick them out immediately instead of wasting their time?
>Market ticker blog says that Beck has 48 hours of video.
One hour for each of the Continental states, that would be utterly astounding.
Did the “lady” in fact shoot her husband as she said on the tape? If that admission was made and it was true, then in no way could she claim they were joking.
Hilarious!!!
Another future Federal employee just passed the application process.
If she was afraid she could have asked them to leave or called the cops.
doesn’t make sense.
I hope they are saving the best for last and that would be Chicago Acorn.
Ooooh! I hope it's Arizona!
Sure sounds like ACORN is standing behind valued employee Tresa.
Hannah said tonight on Hannity that they are investigating to see if this woman did shoot her husband.......as yet, they do not know.
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