Nearly a dozen left-wing advocacy groups are meeting Thursday at the Center for American Progress (CAP) to discuss how to respond to a growing barrage of damaging news reports and editorial criticism of the Association of Community Organizers for Reform (NOW).
The strategy meeting at the liberal think tank is being described as a “briefing and discussion” on how to respond to the negative coverage. ACORN is currently under investigation for voter registration fraud and related allegations in at least 14 states.
Among the organizations expected to attend the strategy session are: Advancement Project, Alliance for Justice, Center for American Progress Action Fund, Center for Community Change, Common Cause, Fair Elections Legal Network, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and People for the American Way.
Bertha Lewis, billed as “ACORN’s new chief organizer and CEO,” is a featured speaker.
In a related development, The Examiner has learned that the John Merck Fund (JMF), one of ACORN’s many corporate funders, demanded last year that the group prove its work is non-partisan and document that it spent grant money as originally promised.
Ruth Hennig, JMF’s executive director, said in an Aug. 1, 2008, letter to ACORN that a “due diligence” audit raised questions about how the group had spent a company grant.
“Additionally, our due diligence has revealed the appearance of a very close connection between ACORN, certain ACORN affiliates and Project Vote, notwithstanding the fact that they are separate corporate entities. In light of this close connection please provide us with documentation establishing that all JMF grants to Project Vote were or are being expended for the purposes stated in the governing grant letter agreements. In addition please confirm whether any such grants were transferred to ACORN or Citizens Consulting Inc.”
Hennig also asked that a “complete expense” report be provided. Her letter was addressed to Michael Slater, deputy director of Project Vote, one of ACORN’s voter registration campaign arms.
ACORN dissidents, including current and former officers and members, have described what they view as a lack of transparency and accountability by the organization’s leadership, which, they also contend, exercises centralized control over its many affiliates through Citizens Consulting Inc. (CCI), a New Orleans-based non-profit associated with ACORN.
Federal tax records show financial and other links between ACORN and many of its affiliates, including Project Vote.
In an Aug. 29, 2008, response, Slater gave Hennig documents that he claimed were his organization’s “best effort” to furnish a complete response. “No JMF funds were transferred to CCI,” he said.
Hennig told The Examiner today that, while JMF’s attorney was satisfied with the response from Slater, the funding was not continued because the program under which the grant was made was “on hiatus.”
