Tuesday, Dec. 08, 2009
ACORN Falls
Posing as a pimp and a prostitute, James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles secretly filmed employees of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in different offices around the U.S. who were apparently willing to assist in prostitution, tax evasion and, in at least one case, human smuggling. The organization fired several of the offending employees, but the toothpaste was out of the tube and all over YouTube. The Senate and the House of Representatives voted against further funding for ACORN, and the IRS and U.S. Census Bureau terminated contracts with the group. The scandal led to a further miniscandal in which accusations were leveled at the media for ignoring the story.