ACORN’s Brazen $7 Million Lawsuit Against Filmmakers O’Keefe, Giles, & Breitbart Has Little Support (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on September 25, 2009
ACORN is suing 'pimp' James O'Keefe and 'prostitute' Hannah Giles who, while undercover, videotaped and exposed ACORN corruption in five offices
It’s getting mighty dicey — and desperate — for ACORN. Why else would CEO Bertha Lewis publicly thank the young undercover journalists for exposing the corruption in the ACORN organization, and then mere days later, be involved in a $7 million lawsuit AGAINST them?
Funded by taxpayer dollars, ACORN, which is acclaimed for its community organizing for “helping the poor,” also has a long history of questionable, potentially criminal activities (money laundering, voter registration fraud, town hall protest intimidation and violence) and affiliations with the current White House.
This lawsuit by ACORN and two Baltimore ex-employees (I find it bizarre that they are joined by the very organization that FIRED them for their activities on the damning tape) against young filmmakers James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles and journalist/webmaster Andrew Breitbart may prove to be a serious miscalculation. First of all, Maryland’s wiretap law is complicated, and while at a glance, it may appear that the duo broke the law, journalistic precedent appears to say otherwise. Other journalists in Maryland have used undercover videotaping for stories, and WMAR-TV not only was commended, but received an investigative reporting award. You can read all the details at Hot Air, Will Baltimore prosecute other journalists, too? The law prohibits the secretive interception of communication, like wiretapping or audio taping a phone call, but does not make any distinction between the video and audio portions of a videotape. And, since other journalists have used concealed video cameras without legal repercussions in Maryland, this appears to be a non-issue. But I’m no lawyer, so time will tell.
Add in that it was criminal activity that was exposed — child prostitution, income tax fraud advice, government loan documentation fraud advice, and in case of the San Diego sting, support for human trafficking and smuggling illegal aliens across the California-Mexico border — it seems unlikely that any jury would have sympathy for ACORN and the two Maryland ex-employees, especially to the tune of $7 million.
ACORN’s troubles have escalated. It has already alienated support from congressional folks in Washington, DC and has lost federal funding, its association with the IRS, and the 2010 census. This week, its Big Labor ties are coming to light, as is its involvement (with ACORN’s offshoot United We Serve organization) spearheaded by White House appointees to use the National Endowment of the Arts as a propaganda tool for the Obama administration.
FOX News: Megyn Kelly’s Court: Disgraced ACORN Files Lawsuit Against Filmmakers
Johanns: O’Keefe, Giles Are ‘Unbelievably Courageous’
By Robert Costa
September 24, 2009
On Wednesday, ACORN filed suit in Baltimore, Md., against James E. O’Keefe III and Hannah Giles, the two filmmakers who published their exposé of the community-organizing group on Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com. Following the news, Sen. Mike Johanns (R., Neb.) tells NRO that O’Keefe and Giles are “unbelievably courageous” for standing up to ACORN.“Here are a couple of young people who stepped into an ACORN office. The employees in each of the offices that they visited simply had the option to say ‘get the heck out of here, that’s not what our organization is about,’” says Johanns. “It was these young filmmakers, because of their courage, who were able to reveal a whole different side of ACORN. They saw ACORN employees counsel about how to break the law.”
The duo’s videos, says Johanns, “are some of the most remarkable things I’ve ever seen in terms of exposing an entity that receives government funds. When I replay the clips today, I still find them shocking. I applaud them for their courage and feel so badly that ACORN decided to let it fly and sue them. Now, ACORN is trying to intimidate them just because they stood up and captured the truth about ACORN’s activities on camera.”
The suit, he adds, is “so typical of ACORN. This is an organization that decided to send missiles in someone else’s direction when the spotlight got too intense. I think that ACORN now has real problems. They’ll have a very difficult time convincing any jury. It comes down to this: The ACORN employees were caught doing things that are just outrageous. They’re going to have to convince the jury that notwithstanding the outrageous behavior, ACORN should be compensated. That argument doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.”
“I think the sympathy of the country is absolutely opposed to the lawsuit,” says Johanns. “It doesn’t help ACORN that though their employees got caught doing some very, very bad things, ACORN is now trying push the blame onto the people who discovered the it.”
ACORN, Johann says, doesn’t have many friends left on the Hill to come to their defense. “This group is very toxic. You don’t run into anyone who defends what they are doing. I can count the number of people who support ACORN on one hand. It’s not just about the videos — it’s about ACORN’s activities in the past, their history. Investigations are warranted and very important to see what this organization is about.”
For his part, Johanns is calling for the Government Accountability Office to investigate ACORN…
…This week, the Internal Revenue Service announced that it would no longer include ACORN in its list of groups approved to offer free tax preparation.
“Senator Johanns has become the national leader in looking into the abuses of ACORN,” Sen. Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.) tells us. “He’s gotten the public’s attention. ACORN is losing its support, even among Democrats, and it is clear that it needs a housecleaning. We will do all we can to support him.”
FOX’s Bill O’Reilly and Rep. Barney Frank over ACORN Controversy
Memory lane… one video on the ACORN voter registration fraud lawsuit from last fall:
FOX News: Megyn Kelly on ACORN lawsuit in Pennsylvania: FNC October 27, 2008
More ACORN corruption info:
Alexander Marlow, Big Government: Breitbart and Giles Talk ACORN Lawsuit on Fox News
Zena Crenshaw, Big Government: ACORN Scandal: Will Harshbarger Intervention Make or Break the ACORN?
Macsmind: Let’s Ramp Up Investigation into All the Organizations of the Left
Hot Air: Breitbart: I thought Bertha Lewis was grateful that we exposed ACORN’s corruption and War: ACORN sues Breitbart, O’Keefe, and Giles and Dig deep: Hannah Giles defense fund launches and Media Matters dishonest editing in support of their “smear” argument exposed and ACORN chief: Targeting a minority group with a prostitution sting is racist or something and Is ACORN operating in Maryland illegally? and Conyers’s wife cops plea to federal bribery charges — as Conyers drops probe of ACORN
Gadaboutblogalot’s Blog: ACORN Sues – Hopefully To Lose
Big Government: James O’Keefe Chats with Fox News’ Chris Wallace
Wellsy’s World: Disgrace: ACORN sues undercover journalists
Big Hollywood: ACORN Video Investigation
Mike Flynn, Big Government: ACORN Recap Video: Pictures Worth Two Weeks of News
Pundit Pawn: ACORN CEO Dances on FOX
GayPatriot: Time for Buffy to Bid the White House Adieu and In re: NEA Scandal, What Wasn’t Recorded? (At NEA & other agencies)
Nice Deb: Justice Dept. Inspector General To Look Into ACORN Funding
Maura Flynn, Big Government: ACORN Founder Wade Rathke: “There Is a Different Culture”
Diary of a Mad Conservative: The secret party behind the Democrats and Some of the deepest roots to the great ACORN scam
Patrick Courrielche, Big Hollywood: Statement on the Recording of the August 10 NEA Conference Call and RESPONSE TO NEA CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT: Throwing Yosi Sergant Under the Bus Isn’t an Answer
UrbanGrounds: NEA: The Next ACORN to Fall?
Riehl World View: Connected: The NEA, ACORN And Obama’s Office Of Faith-Based Outreach
Publius, Big Government: NY Times Editor: Paper Was Too Slow to Cover ACORN Scandal and Is Breitbart More Powerful than ACORN? and Limbaugh: White House Using Fed Arts Agency to Push Agenda
Frugal Café Blog Zone: ACORN: “We’ll Help You Get Away with Stuff” — Jay Leno, Bill O’Reilly, & Dennis Miller Weigh In (video) and ‘Big Government’s’ Breitbart Lets Major TV News Media Have It for Lying, Ignoring, or Distorting ACORN Child Hooker-Tax Fraud Scandal (video)
Anita MonCrief: Schumer, Gutierrez and Waters Honored for Governing the “ACORN Way” at Anniversary Celebration
Pronk Palisades: The American People Confront The Red Shirts (ACORN) and Purple Shirts (SEIU) Bullhorns and Beatings Over Obama Care!
Michelle Malkin: ACORN Watch: What happens in Vegas… and The other pension scandals Obama won’t talk about and Going on offense against the ACORN conspiracy and Project Vote sues whistleblower: ObamACORN bully tactics exposed and “ACORN is a criminal enterprise” and Voter fraud alert: Houseful of out-of-state Obama activists registered as Ohio voters, received absentee ballots
Conyers chickens out of ACORN probe
Radio Vice Online: Alinsky Rule #8: Never let up
Sister Toldjah: ACORN files suit against Breitbart.com
FOX News: Justice Department Inspector General Launches Internal ACORN Probe and ACORN Chief Dodges Congressman’s Call to Come Before Congress
John Nolte, Big Government: Propaganda, Health Care and ACORN: Full context of NEA Conference Call Reveals Disturbing Pattern
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Exciting times, these. You have posted a great article and it is encouraging to say the least.
If you aren’t aware there is a donation site for Hannah Giles defense fund http://www.2dialog.com/freemarket/main.php/micro_sites/actionpage/id/96
I hope it is not a violation of your rules to post this. I have no affiliation with the site
aside from the fact that I donated.
Thanks again!
Thanks for the info, Chuck!
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E-verify could become a very significant immigration enforcement weapon, as it’s shown to work extremely well? Opponents have used the courts in erroneous lawsuits as a delaying factor but failed to impress a Maryland federal judge. This application discloses unauthorized immigrants in the workplace, being continually modified in its operation as spreads into the business world. It now has been unleashed on government contractors and subcontractors to locate illegal foreign labor. We should reward those government public servants who have battled outside special interest groups for American workers. But denying elected office to those who tried to kill or weaken its capabilities. Americans should harass their politicians to enact E-Verify permanently and prepare its operational program offering many uses in the incessant law enforcement fight.
In credit practices it could determine a person’s right to buy any vehicle, if in the United Statesillegally. It could also disrupt radical organizations like ACORN that was instrumental in assisting foreign nationals buying house mortgages, which had a major impact in the real estate collapse. E-Verify should also be installed in financial institutions, to stop fraudulent transactions using bogus SS # or IRS ITIN loan identification numbers. E-Verify could help emergency rooms identify illegal immigrants using forged documents and enable law enforcement to track the employer. That business should be forced to pay for the person’s injury or treatment instead of the proverbial taxpayers. Schools, colleges could check new student admittances for their immigration status. The E-Verification identification system could accomplish numerous other extraction processes, in determining a person’s right to government benefits. In addition, I’m for Health Reform and public option for some family members. Illegal immigrants should be exempt, except for emergency hospital access.
DON’T LET E-VERIFY EXPIRE ON SEPTEMBER 30? CALL YOUR LAWMAKER AT 202-224-3121 AND DEMAND OTHER USES. E-VERIFY COULD HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT, IN THE ILLEGAL INVASION OF OUR COUNTRY. CUT-OFF ALL BENEFITS. INSIST ON RESCINDING THE BIRTHRIGHT LAW, APPLICABLE TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MOTHERS. WE NEED NO NEW AMNESTY. E-VERIFY COULD SAVE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT IS BEING PAID OUT TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SANCTUARY CITIES AND STATES. IN ADDITION SAY–NO–TO FOREIGN NATIONALS BEING COUNTED IN THE 2010 CENSUS. GOOGLE– NUMBERSUSA, JUDICIAL WATCH & CAPSWEB FOR FACTS ON YOUR DOLLARS, STATISTICS, OVERPOPULATION, FAILING INFRASTRUCTURE AND CORRUPTION IN WASHINGTON.
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