Cornyn: For Majority Leader Reid it seems that oversight is a selective responsibility."
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn today harshly rebuked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reids refusal to instruct committee chairmen to investigate ACORNs criminal activities and the sources of all federal funds ACORN and its affiliates receive. Cornyn originally made this request September 17 in a letter signded by 27 fellow Republican Senators to the Majority Leader. On Tuesday Majority Leader Reid rebuffed the Republican request that he call Senate hearings into recent allegations against the scandal-tainted community organizing group.
Reid D-Nev. said he would not ask the Senate committee chairmen or Congress to do anything that would distract from efforts to address" health care climate change an overhaul of the nations financial regulatory system and oversight of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In light of ACORNs long and growing list of flagrant misuse of taxpayer dollars I along with 27 Republican Senators recently asked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to instruct pertinent Senate committee chairmen to investigate ACORNs offenses and identify the sources of all federal funds that ACORN and its affiliates receive" said Cornyn.
Despite the fact that the U.S. Senate has at its disposal 20 committees 68 subcommittees and 4 joint committees the Majority Leader has denied our request stating he will not instruct Senate leaders to do anything that would distract from efforts to address the issues currently before Congress" Cornyn said.
The liberal-leaning group has faced heavy criticism following the release last week of a video showing ACORN employees apparently advising a couple
posing as a prostitute accompanied by her pimp about how to conceal their line of work evade taxes and handle undocumented under-age sex workers.
But Reid noted that federal and state authorities are investigating ACORN and warned about politicizing such probes. I am sure you would join me in praising the effectiveness honest intentions and impartiality of our nations law enforcement communities and inspectors general" he said.
Said Cornyn of the response Under the direction of this Majority Leader in conjunction with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Congress has held more than 150 oversight hearings on Bush-era practices and activities transcribing more than 3200 pages of witness testimony and printing more than 17000 pages of unclassified publicly available reports. For Majority Leader Reid it seems that oversight is a selective responsibility and the misuse of taxpayer dollars by a fraud-ridden organization does not qualify as a priority."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi D-Calif. called Thursday
for a thorough investigation of the group and Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to rescind a nearly $1 million fire safety and prevention grant awarded to ACORN this month.
If the Majority Leader refuses to investigate ACORN I am at a loss as to what recourse my colleagues and I have to put a stop to federal funding of this organization and I have serious concerns with the precedent his decision sets for the future" said Cornyn.
Sen. Cornyn originally made this request
September 17 in a letter to the Majority Leader with the signatures of 27 fellow Republican Senators.
