ACORN Watch, Pt II: Obama hid $800,000 payment to ACORN through “Citizen Services, Inc.”
There’s much more to the story of Obama’s amended campaign finance reports than what Obama and the Obamedia will tell you. I will fill you in on what’s missing in a moment. What we have here, essentially, is Obama using a non-profit group called Citizens Services Inc. as a front to funnel payments to ACORN for campaign advance work. Obama officials say it’s no big deal. Nothing to see here. Move along. But where there’s left-wing laundering smoke, there’s fire. CSI has been the subject of a little-noticed complaint to the FEC by a Democrat who smelled something rotten going on between CSI, ACORN, and a left-wing 527, Communities Voting Together.
But first, the headline:
Obama to amend report on $800,000 in spending
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has details:
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign paid more than $800,000 to an offshoot of the liberal Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now for services the Democrat’s campaign says it mistakenly misrepresented in federal reports.
An Obama spokesman said Federal Election Commission reports would be amended to show Citizens Services Inc. — a subsidiary of ACORN — worked in “get-out-the-vote” projects, instead of activities such as polling, advance work and staging major events as stated in FEC finance reports filed during the primary.
FEC spokeswoman Mary Brandenberger said it is not unusual for campaigns to amend reports, even regarding large sums of money.
But, said Blair Latoff, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee: “Barack Obama’s failure to accurately report his campaign’s financial records is an incredibly suspicious situation that appears to be an attempt to hide his campaign’s interaction with a left-wing organization previously convicted of voter fraud. For a candidate who claims to be practicing ‘new’ politics, his FEC reports look an awful lot like the ‘old-style’ Chicago politics of yesterday.”
The suspicions are well-placed, as I’ve been detailing ever since starting ACORN Watch.
Jim Terry, spokesman for a group that tracks ACORN, said Citizens Services Inc.’s involvement in the Obama campaign raises bigger questions.
“All of this just seems like an awful lot of money and time spent on political campaigning for an organization that purports to exist to help low-income consumers,” said Terry, chief public advocate for Consumers Rights League, a Washington, D.C., advocacy outfit with a libertarian outlook.
“ACORN has a long and sordid history of employing convoluted Enron-style accounting to illegally use taxpayer funds for their own political gain,” Terry claimed. “Now it looks like ACORN is using the same type of convoluted accounting scheme for Obama’s political gain.”
Are your alarm bells ringing yet?
The Ohio primary was March 4. According to FEC records, the Obama campaign paid Citizens Services Inc. $832,598.29, from Feb. 25 to May 17.
A Trib analysis of campaign finance reports showed Obama paid CSI for services that stood out as unusual. For example, CSI received payments of $63,000 and $75,000 for advance work. Excluding the large payments to CSI, the average amount the Obama campaign spent with other organizations was $558.82 per check on more than 1,200 entries classified as advance work.
Citizens Services Inc. is headquartered at the same address as ACORN’s national headquarters in New Orleans. Citizens Services was established in December 2004 to “assist persons and organizations who advance the interests of low- and moderate-income people,” according to paperwork filed in Louisiana. In a 2006 ACORN publication, Citizen Services Inc. is described as “ACORN’s campaign services entity.”
Separate? Bull:
Regarding CSI’s nonprofit status, Robinson said: “We are organized specifically not to make money, but we make money. There are no profits. We have a staff of 60 people around the country, and that eats up our entire profit. We’re not a for-profit corporation, but we are not a group like a United Way.”
CSI is a “separate organization entirely” from ACORN, he said.
“ACORN is a client of ours,” Robinson said. “ACORN has a lot of different partner organizations. We are a partner, but we are separate.”
Robinson is listed on several Web sites as national deputy political director for campaigns and elections at ACORN. He is also listed as political director at the nonprofit Communities Voting Together and as a consultant at Project Vote. He did not return phone calls or an e-mail request for a follow-up interview.
Money flows back and forth between ACORN, Citizens Services Inc., Project Vote and Communities Voting Together. ACORN posts job ads for Citizens Services and Project Vote. Communities Voting Together contributed $60,000 to Citizens Services Inc., for example, in November 2005, according to a posting on CampaignMoney.com. Project Vote has hired ACORN and CSI as its highest paid contractors, paying ACORN $4,649,037 in 2006 and CSI $779,016 in 2006, according to Terry of the Consumers Rights League.
Photoshop: Blind Mule
And now, let’s dig deeper.
FEC reports show that from February-May 2008, Obama paid $832,598.29 to CSI.
The payments were for:
$310,441.20 25-FEB-08 STAGING, SOUND, LIGHTING
$160,689.40 27-FEB-08 STAGING, SOUND, LIGHTING
$98,451.20 29-FEB-08 TRAVEL/LODGING
$74,578.01 13-MAR-08 STAGING, SOUND, LIGHTING
$18,417.00 28-MAR-08 POLLING
$18,633.60 29-APR-08 STAGING, SOUND, LIGHTING
$63,000.00 29-APR-08 ADVANCE WORK
$105.84 02-MAY-08 LICENSE FEES
$105.84 02-MAY-08 LICENSE FEES
$75,000.00 17-MAY-08 ADVANCE WORK
$13,176.20 17-MAY-08 PER DIEM
Interesting services and payments for a nonprofit that supposedly does simple canvassing work on behalf of low-income people. And now, the Obama campaign is going to wave its magic wand and change those services to get-out-the-vote work? What the…?
For your information: The New Orleans building that houses CSI also houses multiple chapters of ACORN and the SEIU– as well as the 527 group Communities Voting Together.
And for your information: A tipster points to shady business by CSI -detected by Maryland Democrat Al Wynn, of all people. His team, which filed an FEC complaint over the matter, linked several suspicious outfits used by his primary opponent to one address: 1024 Elysian Fields in New Orleans. That’s the address of CSI and ACORN.
In a letter to the FEC, Lori Sherwood, the congressman’s campaign manager, wrote, “Based on my examination of various records and documents I believe the Donna Edwards for Congress Committee has received substantial assistance by way of unreported, in-kind contributions from organizations who profess to have operated independently of the Edwards Campaign.”
In a lengthy complaint, Sherwood claimed that as executive director of the social justice organization the Arca Foundation, Edwards was “responsible for administering and overseeing grants that are awarded and distributed” by the group – grants that go to some of her campaign’s biggest supporters.
“By way of example and not limitation, the Arca Foundation contributed $100,000.00 in grants to the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) from 2004-2006,” Sherwood said.
“That after having been intimately involved in the award of an Arca grant to the LCV, Donna Edwards was appointed to the Board of Directors of the League of Conservation Voters,” she continued. “After receipt of grant money from Ms. Edward’s group and her appointment to the LCV Board, LCV endorsed Donna Edwards for Congress in 2006 and 2008.”
Sherwood goes on to allege that the “LCV and its principals contributed over $15,000.00 to the Edwards campaign through its board members, employees, and the LCV PAC.”
Tip of the iceberg:
Sherwood said the 527 group Communities Voting Together(CTV), which is located at 1024 Elysian Fields in New Orleans, was also the address for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 100, and theaddress of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN),along with the Elysian Fields Corporation.
“Wade Rathke, President of Elysian Fields Corporation is also the chief organizer for SEIU Local 100, founder of ACORN, and a member of the Board of Directors of Tides Center and Tides Foundation,” Sherwood said while alleging that Tides, a social justice network, “received $245,000 ingrant money” from the Arca Foundation from 2002-2006.
She continued, saying, “Donna Pharr is the Custodian of Record for Communities Voting Together, the Assistant Treasurer for ACORN, andDeputy Treasurer for the American Institute for Social Justice and Voting forAmerica, Inc. Both of these organizations received a combined total of $230,000 in grants from Arca between 2003 and 2006.”
Sherwood also said members of the CTV “printed and distributed thousands of handouts attacking Congressman Wynn,” while they also attempted “to hire canvassers to assist the Edwards campaign.”
She continued, saying, “Donna Pharr is the Custodian of Record for Communities Voting Together, the Assistant Treasurer for ACORN, and Deputy Treasurer for the American Institute for Social Justice and Voting for America, Inc. Both of these organizations received a combined total of $230,000 in grants from Arca between 2003 and 2006.”
Sherwood also said members of the CTV “printed and distributed thousands of handouts attacking Congressman Wynn,” while they also attempted “to hire canvassers to assist the Edwards campaign.”
In addition, Sherwood said she also learned of a relationship between the Edwards [campaign] and another not for profit, Citizens Services, Inc., a Louisiana corporation also claiming the address 1024 Elysian Fields in New Orleans.
“I learned that Citizens Services, Inc. qualified to do business in Maryland as a foreign corporation and gave a registered agent address of 11 East Chase St., in Baltimore,” Sherwood said.
“In checking to verify the address, I learned that there is no record of Citizen Services, Inc. actually having an office in Baltimore,” she added. “According to recent records from the Maryland State Department of Taxation and Assessments Citizens Services, Inc.’s ability to do business in Maryland was forfeited less than 2 months after the 2006 primary.”
Sherwood alleged that the Edwards campaign paid Citizens Services a total of $76,866.80 in three separate payments in a door to door get out the vote effort.
There is at least one other example of suspiciously large payments to Citizens Services, Inc. that call into question what kind of work this non-partisan, non-profit is doing.
See here, where liberal group Ohio Citizen Action notes a $907,808 payment to Citizens Services for canvassing and $590,526.10 for “campaign consulting.” That’s some gold-plated get-out-the-vote and consulting services right there.
The scheme has all the appearances of another left-wing slush fund for Democrat satellites exploiting their non-profit status and skirting campaign finance laws.
The more things Change…
***
Stanley Kurtz has much more on Senator Stealth’s ACORN ties.
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This is where Obama has been spending his money on these groups and their efforts.
Obama is setting up numberous offices all over the country and connecting to the local chapters of groups like ACORN.
In This story can see Obama posing with the texas chapter of ACORN as well as some other details.
But as you said in the article it isnt just about Obama. Al Franken and Keith Ellison both worked with ACORN lately. As well as some others.
The Final link I will throw in is ACORN marching on the police in Texas and demanding they stop arresting illegal aliens as it is “Racist”. That is part of their tactics to inflate the democratic party vote.
Shocked, simply shocked.
All the shady dealings need an awful lot of sinister thinking
peoplecrooks/swindlers/snake oil salemen…… etc. etc.etc.Look At This Michelle
OT/
Sad
Nice photoshop from blind mule, where is he by the way?
Excellent work Michelle. Stealing elections sounds like big business these days. Now, let’s see how fast (or slow) the justice department gets involved.
Its not a photoshop AJ can read about it at that link
AJ’s talking about the photoshopped ACORN logo.
Well I guess when Obama continues to say “We WILL win…” he may be referring to what he has in place like this ACORN ace up his sleeve.
Just imagine IF this was a Republican? With what has been exposed already, a Republican would be asked to resign and admit himself to jail.
Hilary’s smile just keeps getting bigger and bigger…..
Ah thanks for the correction michelle. Now that I almost wouldnt think was a photoshop either
Another
Corrupt
Organization
Ruining
Neighborhoods.
ACORN.
Michelle correct.
did you get a tip from me regarding the Detroit mayor?
it’s been on fox news now.
plea deal….. if he resigns…
meeting monday.
Why buy TV commercials when you can just go out and buy votes?
This whole setup just reeks, and I won’t waste any time looking at the liberal media for this to be reported.
If this were a Republican, we would already have the entire history of ACORN and all of its “partners” pounded into us every day, and The Dan Rather Photoshop Services would be working on “fake but accurate” documentation to slam the lid shut on this hypothetical Republican. TANG, anyone?
This will get all the coverage of the Ayers Annandale Challenge association, which means none.
lgm, your ball.
That was my first thought.
Obama = Dem[insert Democrat of your choice here] = passDimsdale 29 US congressmen went to Barney Frank and asked for an investigation into ACORN.
Barney Frank laughed and told him he’d rather investigate the IRS for its corruption.
So there will be no congressional action on ACORN. Wish the Justice Department had the gumbulls to look into this group.
Just heard VP pick is Gov. Tim Kaine.
John, what did Odopey call you? lol
insert a comma in there….
I have friends and family in SPringfield. Something in the water made them Democrats, but they are in elected office so who knows.
Nothing on news yet, and thats what everyone is stuck on…. sheesh…
just say it already!
There have been alot of false emails sent out about Obama’s pick
A.P. Is trying to get final confirmation but it’s they also heard Tim Kaine.
This was a phone call, William. I’m not betting the house yet, but maybe my dog.
ACORN:
ANOTHER
CORRUPT
ORGANIZATION
RUINING
the
NATION
Looks like Obama has a hard time getting anyone to volunteer for his campaign.
AJ #12 He turned it down, according to The Detroit News..
For those $$$$ ammounts, I will “volunteer”!
Great post, Michelle! Keep up the good work exposing these criminals for who they are. I hope you packed your waders for the convention, the B.S. is sure to be deep!
Maybe Tim Kaine
RIchmond times dispact reports Kaine left his office today and is does not have any meetings to go to and isnt going home.
Hmm
I just heard Sponge Bob Square Pants was joining the Obama ticket.
Organizations like ACORN and CAIR have so much money being funneled to then it makes them almost unstoppable; mix a few liberal activist judges in there and you have no country.
Anyone for a nice latte rio del luciousco from Star Bucks?
Thanks twiggman, I was making B-fast haven’t heard that one yet….
Nice Goldwater, Or Robbing the Nation.
If BO wins, he brings Chicago political slime with him to infest D.C. We don’t need any more disfunction and cooruption in D.C. than we already have.
Another tip on VP could be Jack Reed (dem-ri), which would be beyond stupid for BO and certainly OK with me! Imagine the bumper stickers “Chicago slime and Indictment State Moron”!
John Ansell said:
I’ll have to admit I stood on your shoulders a bit there.
Keep inmind ACORN has it’s finger in many pies. They get HUD money for housing and they are also pushing for universal health care and an open borders policy.
The voting part is just the way it gets democrats into office to enact their legislation.
I think he is a senior adviser.
We should ask ourselves if Democrats could truly win any election if dead people and illegal immigrants were precluded from voting. I’m leaning toward the negative.
I wish some federal prosecutor had the stones to throw the book at these crooks.
Thank you John McCain for campaign finance reform. It’s working so well you see.
We’re missing the bigger picture. Even if groups like ACORN get democrats into office, what does it matter? Nancy Pelosi herself said that this is most ethical Congress ever. It’s not like these groups or agendas will hold any sway over the elected representatives.
I think I’ve reached my sarcasm limit for today.
Find it interesting that ACORN has it’s own campaign services also?
Louisiana Secretary of State
Detailed Record
Charter/Organization ID: 35852073N
Name: ACORN CAMPAIGN SERVICES, INC.
Type Entity: Non-Profit Corporation
Status: Active
Annual Report Status: In Good Standing Add Certificate of Good Standing to Shopping Cart
Last Report Filed on 12/10/2007
Mailing Address: 1024 ELYSIAN FIELDS, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70117
Domicile Address: 1024 ELYSIAN FIELDS, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70117
File Date: 01/07/2005
Registered Agent (Appointed 1/07/2005): NATIONAL REGISTERED AGENTS, INC., 321 N. VERMONT ST., SUITE 203, COVINGTON, LA 70433
Director: JOE LARA, 6688 SPRINGFIELD ST., SAN DIEGO, CA 92114
Director: TONI MCELROY, 3307 WENTWORTH, HOUSTON, TX 77004
Amendments on File
DOMICLE, AGENT CHG OR RESIGN OF AGT (07/07/2008)
SUPPLEMENTAL INITIAL REPORT (04/22/2005)
If the VP pick is VA gov, everybody will get to join in the fun that is Tim Kaine. Hang on to your wallets.
Keyword at Free Republic
ACORN
Thanks to Michelle for keeping the spotlight blazing on these miscreants.
He’s at least as qualified as BHO is for the job.
Will same-day registration without ID take place in Ohio?
Ohio has a voter ID law. How strongly the democratic governor will enforce it ? Who knows but watch Cayougha county near Cleveland it is a cesspool of voter fraud.
Amen to THAT, soap!
Who knows but watch
Cayougha county near Clevelandthe entire United States it is a cesspool of voter fraud.And with Squidward as his domestic policy advisor, the sky’s the limit!
That would be below his pay grade.
Winie the poo is his Foreign policy advisor so I think Obama would make Spounge Bob his tax collector so he can soak up all the tax money.
From Barack’s website:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gGC7zm
Post from Sam Graham-Felsen’s Blog:
ACORN Political Action Committee Endorses Obama
By Sam Graham-Felsen – Feb 21st, 2008 at 6:36 pm EST
Well, Bubba did say it was a “Fairy Tale” so it makes sense to be surrounded by Disney Characters.
BO is far from an agent of change. This is Chicago politics at its worst. A slime fest that hopefully will explode right about the time he gives his “acceptance” speech.
CHANGE my @ss!!!!!
He is just another slick willie with a tan.
I’m thinking that “
BeijingACORN looks like a pretty good option.”i’ve often challenged my liberal friends to name one republican city known far and wide as a voter fraud city. chicago, cleveland, milwaukee, philadelphia, st louis city, kansas city, et al are all bastions of one party (democrat) rule, and all have long and well deserved reputations for voter fraud. have you ever heard of san diego or oklahoma city voter fraud.
Cheapseat, don’t forget Detroit.
This seems to be how democrats work. Create a sea of shell organizations and funnel money through them like a “shell” game so even if the activity makes it into the news, most people won’t be able to see or understand what is actually going on.
It does in fact take a lot of corrupt slime-balls to concoct and manage this sort of crooked activity. And there seems to be a huge supply of those slime-balls living in Chicago.
I don’t expect to see this on NBC News any time soon. Unless they intend to white-wash it.
are you kidding? San Diego? rofl.
What do you ‘spose would happen if I mischaracterized $800,000 on my tax return?
lgm and ontheotherside
Can’t you see how this is another Tammany Hall/Boss Tweed corruption? Can’t you learn from history?
Yeah.. no doubt there’s a huge need for their services there and nearby in La Jolla.
I’m surprised there isn’t a Redondo Beach office.
Are you suggesting that we vote for the party that spends less on special effects? That would be the Democratic party.
No offense, but WTF are you talking about? Are you trying to equate those ambiguous money laundering categories of the payments to ACORN by Obama to actual services? You think they are real?
Doesn’t the messiah’s own natural glow obviate the need for pyrotechnics?
That is weak even coming from you.
Wow, those new campaign finance laws are sure working overtime, huh? /sarc
Someone shuold break this story with McCain’s name in place of Obama and one of the groups supporting him in place of ACORN and CSI and disseminate all these facts. Then, when the dems blow a gasket say and the press runs it up the flagpole a few hundred times and people have listened…the correction: oh, my mistake it’s not McCain…it’s Obama.
LGM, as I am somewhat liberal(Soros poster above my bed), you sure are making the Democratic Party look Demented to all the Conservatives on here. You’re becoming lika Alan Colmes.
okay, if you say so. :rolleyes:
I will never understand why democrats don’t want people to present ID to vote if they claim to support fair elections. It is clear to any honest person that presenting ID is one of the most basic steps to prevent voter fraud. It is equally clear to me that democrats oppose it because they rely on voter fraud to get elected in some places.
lgm said:
I agree lgm.
A really really bad image I didn’t need Silky.
Throw the bums out. Hillary 08!
Alan Colmes is the model of rationality and wit compared to lgm.
I like it.
What’s that smell? Something here stinks.
Could it be… B.O.?
Is lgm being thrown under the bus?
That must be a Union Made Shovel, because Mrs.Malkin, you sure are digging today and finding a lot of …. on Acorn and the like.
Reading these stories make me feel like I need to go take a shower! The slime permeates, and makes me more convinced than ever that our Justice Dept. is thoroughly overrun with liberal Democraps who refuse to go after these law-breakers the same way they refuse to go after the leakers in DoD & State! Washington needs a thorough house-cleaning, and we don’t have one single politician with the backbone of Reagan, who ignored unions (the bane of DC) and fired the air-controllers.
Dear God how we miss that man, please Lord send us another!
FM-
No lgm isn’t being thrown under a bus, but rather a very large calculator (TI-84 Silver Edition!)
Union made? That implies Michelle is working slowly.
As the Clintons said,” If you don’t like em, kill em.” Being thrown under the bus would surely do that. Unless you’re Jimmy Carter. Then you just live forever. Of course on your peanut farm.
Don’t they excommunicate you from the DNC for heresy like that???
FamilyMan said:
Lgm is a highly intelligent man. There are only two Jewish mathematicians that I know of, lgm and Albert Einstein.
I can’t understand that once they are caught”oops I made a mistake, let me fix it right quick” and everything is ok.
That doesn’t work at all with the IRS.
Next time I get caught speeding I’ll tell the police office ” Hey I’m a Democrat and I didn’t mean to be going so fast. It’s the cars fault so give the car the ticket”
Of course one was the father of thermo nuclear bombs and the other wasn’t…
Nah it’s kind of like an open party. Can you vote? Whether legally able to vote or not, we’ll find a way. Sad that happens and I hope those that do it get punished and not a slap on the wrist either. I’m sure many Dems hate me because I will question my own loyalties as well as theirs.
I find it interesting that many people call Mrs.Malkin a “Republican attack machine” and other stuff,(some pretty messed up …. too) but if you check this site out, she actually dishes crap on McCain and the Republican Party too.
It’s standing up for principals thats important, not standing up because someone told you to.
I think both parties execute you for that.You do you think you are thinking for yourself????
Shame on you!!!
LGM, are you even bothering to read MM’s articles?
In no uncertain terms, MM has correctly documented why and how ACORN is nothing more than a conduit for George Soros to funnel money into Democrat campaigns and affect the outcome of U.S. elections by inflating the number of registered voters with those who do not qualify to cast a legal ballot in our elections. For the preservation and integrity of our electoral process, you really need to rethink your support for this bought and paid for group.
If you do not care to read MM’s entire article above, at least read this short quote from it, then you’ll know why ACORN is not to be admired.
8 years of failure and embarrassment means the repubs need to go back under their rocks and let true American patriots clean up your messes.
Scooter36 – and which true American patriots might those be? (Please cite reasons why as well)
But I thought taxpayer funds were specifically for illegal activities…
Justice will never investigate. What do they do btw?
I think they’re a Republican 527.
Ooooh. Burn.
scooter36 is just trying to be an ass and succeding quite well. He seems to think that people who attack the us military while they are in battle are “american patriots”.
What’s this now? There’s vote-buying corruption being committed by DemLibs???
Well, I’ll just have to tune into Keith Olbermann tonight and get the resolutely objective low-down on this story!
Right after I go buy this weekend’s winning Lotto ticket…
You mean the turn American Patiots like Pelois and Reid??????? Or, is that an oxymoron?
Why can’t these voter registration organizations be outlawed? It seems to be the act of registering to vote, need be done only once, or as often as you move, and is easily done when you stop to change your address at the drivers license office. Unless one registers on their own, they aren’t likely to vote anyway. They all sound corrupt too me, especially ACORN.
No “oxy” necessary.
Thats the Democrat Party for the last 8 years all right.