The Obama Justice Department administration shut down an investigation into ACORN last year, ignoring evidence of fraud at the community group, a government watchdog claimed Thursday, citing investigative documents it obtained.
The watchdog, Judicial Watch, in releasing the documents, accused ACORN of “evident criminal conduct” and suggested that Obama’s past ties to ACORN played a role in the investigation’s conclusion.
ACORN responded by emphasizing that it was cleared of wrongdoing, though the federal investigation found problems with how the organization hires and trains employees.
The investigation stemmed from complaints made in 2008 by two Republican officials in Connecticut. In Stamford, Republican Registrar Lucy Corelli said her office rejected 300 of 1,200 ACORN voter registration cards because of “duplicates, underage, illegible and invalid address,” causing $20,000 in extra work. In Bridgeport, Republican Registrar Joseph Borges said an ACORN drive “produced over 100 rejections due to incomplete forms and individuals who were not citizens.”
