Justice Department Investigates Acorn

The New York Times reports an internal watchdog at the Justice Department said he was reviewing the agency’s involvement with the national community organizing group Acorn. Inspector General Glenn Fine wrote to Representative Lamar Smith, Republican of Texas, that his office would examine whether Acorn sought or received any Justice Department grant money, or conducted any reviews of the group’s use of such money. More than a dozen state and local authorities are also scrutinizing Acorn, including Maryland’s attorney general.

Bloomberg indicated the inspector general’s probe “will help Congress ensure that money allocated to support law enforcement efforts is not instead used to support criminal conduct,” Smith said in a statement. An initial review by Acorn showed it received $12,000 from the Justice Department since January 2008, according to the group. The House on Sept. 17 voted to cut all federal funding for the group. Acorn has received more than $53 million in federal funds since 1994, according to a report by Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.