Nonprofit Groups Say Report Shows Congress ‘Rushed to Judgment’ on Acorn

Seven liberal, civil-rights, and advocacy organizations condemned Congress today for what they described as a rush to judgment after an independent investigation found no evidence that Acorn, the controversial community-organizing group, had engaged in illegal activity.

Congress voted to cut off federal funds to Acorn — the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now — in September after undercover videos appeared to show employees in several cities offering advice to two conservative activists about illegal activities, including prostitution and child trafficking.

The investigation — led by Scott Harshbarger, a former Massachusetts attorney general — found that the activities caught on the videos demonstrated “longstanding management weaknesses” but did not lead to any actions by Acorn employees, “illegal or otherwise.” It added that the videos were all of members or part-time employees, rather than supervisors or organizers, and were edited before they were released.

“This independent report serves as a valuable reminder that in barring Acorn from competing for federal contracts when no lawbreaking had occurred, Congress rushed to judgment and violated fundamental constitutional rights,” said Nan Aron, president of the Alliance for Justice, one of the groups that issued statements of support for Acorn.

“The real embarrassment here is the unwarranted persecution of a nonprofit organization that has worked diligently for nearly 40 years to improve the lives of America’s poor and minority communities,” added Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

However, the review, which was commissioned by Acorn, faulted the group for “systemic shortcomings” that set the stage for the video controversy. “The serious management challenges detailed in our report are the fault of Acorn’s founder and a cadre of leaders who, in their drive for growth, failed to commit the organization to the basic, appropriate standards of governance and accountability,” it says.

The report made nine recommendations, including that Acorn stick to its “core competency — community organizing and citizen engagement empowerment;” simplify its operations and board structure; and strengthen its oversight, auditing, and ethics systems.

Acorn, with help from the Center for Constitutional Rights, has sued Congress for its ban, calling it a “bill of attainder”— an unconstitutional legislative act to punish a group deemed guilty of a crime without a trial.

“The report is part vindication, part constructive criticism, and 100 percent road map to the future,” Bertha Lewis, Acorn’s chief executive, said in a statement.

At least one member of Congress, however, remained skeptical about the report. “How surprising is it that a report paid for by Acorn exonerates them,” Darrell Issa, of California, the senior Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said in a statement. “There are numerous federal and state investigations currently under way that should ultimately produce a legitimate finding regarding Acorn’s illegal activities.”