Glenn Beck: ACORN's Internal Inquiry Is Complete

This is a rush transcript from "Glenn Beck," December 8, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GLENN BECK, HOST: Big news today on ACORN: The results of the internal inquiry into ACORN are in. Yes, they looked into themselves.

This is going to come as a shock — thorough. This is coming after the video was made public, you know, the two people that went undercover as a prostitute and pimp into the ACORN offices all across the country. And then they, you know, appeared to get advice from ACORN employees on how to break the law.

The internal inquiry — done by ACORN — is over and they found: nothing. Yes, they say — this came as a complete surprise to me.

I was, like, wow, I thought maybe there was a chance that they'd find that they did something illegal. No — apparently, no, and that's good.

Here it is:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, SEPT. 23)

BECK: Well, I don't know about you, but I feel all warm and fuzzy that these people said this is the guy to look into. If we're going to get to the bottom of this ACORN thing, America. Forget what I said about shutting ACORN down. Are you kidding me? This thing is going to be all buttoned up by next Tuesday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Yes, that was on September 23rd. And — OK, it's — it is Tuesday. It just took a few more Tuesdays.

But this guy, Scott Harshbarger, look at him. Doesn't he look trustworthy? Let's look at what his report found, quote:

"While some of the advice and counsel given by ACORN employees and volunteers was clearly inappropriate and unprofessional, we did not find and pattern of intentional or illegal conduct by ACORN staff. In fact, there is no evidence that action, illegal or otherwise was taken by any ACORN employee on behalf of the videographers."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONJA: You're taking care of them.

JAMES: Yes.

TONJA: So you can use them as a dependent.

JAMES: What if they're making money because they're performing tricks, too?

TONJA: If they're making money and they're underage, you shouldn't let nobody know anyway.

(LAUGHTER)

HANNAH: That's true...

JAMES: What?

TONJA: You shouldn't be letting anyone know anyway.

JAMES: That's what happens. We told the bankers and they kicked us out.

TONJA: Right, because it's illegal.

(CROSSTALK)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: The report continues, quote: "Instead, the videos represent the byproduct of ACORN's longstanding management weakness" — of course, that's what I was thinking when I saw the video — "including a lack of training, a lack of procedures, and a lack of on-site supervision."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONJA: Performing artist, dancing. If you say prostitution, because it's illegal, you're going to get shut down.

Your business is a performing artist, which you are, OK?

JAMES: OK.

TONJA: So, you're not lying. A little play on words.

HANNAH: That's kind of boosting my ego.

TONJA: You're a performing artist. OK? So stop saying prostitution.

JAMES: Got it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: That's what I was thinking: Nothing illegal here. It was lack of supervision. It's a little play on words — stop saying illegal — lack of supervision that had ACORN employees giving out advice on how to hide illegal activities including human trafficking and prostitution of minors. But who hasn't done illegal trafficking of, you know, minors and then put them into the world of prostitution? We all make mistakes.

The report goes on to accuse the people who made the videos of manipulating the tapes. He says there's a number of those taped incidents involving ACORN Housing, which, you have to know, is completely separate from just plain old ACORN.

He added, quote: "Bertha Lewis, CEO of ACORN, has no connection whatsoever to ACORN Housing."

Wow! That is interesting. No connection. She had nothing to do with it.

Then it was Alton Bennett, CEO — do I have — yes, here's Alton Bennett, CEO of ACORN Housing who spoke to the media about it, right? Look:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERTHA LEWIS, ACORN CHIEF EXECUTIVE: We took action immediately. So, yes, I terminated those employees. Some of them, it was very sad, because they had been working with us for over 10 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Maybe it's the beard, because he's got a beard here and he didn't have one there. Or if he shaves his beard, he looks suspiciously like Bertha Lewis — who had nothing to do with any of this.

Assuming — you can call me on this, because you might know — I just shaved my beard that day and I look just like her when I'm firing employees and talking to the press. So, call me on that one because I could be wrong on this. I'm probably wrong, you probably just shaved your beard and it wasn't Bertha Lewis has nothing to —

Anyway, this was obviously an independent investigation and I want to show you how independent this investigation was, because it is crazy independent.

Take a closer look at this: This is the advisory council right here. They picked Harshbarger and first, on the board is Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, former lieutenant governor of Maryland. She used to work with Baltimore's top prosecutor, you know, the one that's looking into the journalist who shot the undercover video at ACORN instead of at ACORN.

Yes, anyway, she's there. She also serves for — on the board for the radical Center for American Progress, which — I told you his name was going to come up again — that's a George Soros group.

And John Podesta, he leads that center. He's also on ACORN's advisory council. Podesta also co-chaired Barack Obama's transition team, so there's no cross-pollination happening here at all. He is also a frequent visitor to the White House.

And who else is also a frequent visitor to the White House? Andy Stern. You're number one, dude, yes! He is the president of SEIU, which has two locals that are ACORN chapters. What are the odds, Steve Wynn?

Remember, Stern is the man President Obama turns to on health care:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Before debating health care, I talked to Andy Stern and SEIU members.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Yes.

Next, former housing and urban development chief, Henry Cisneros, handsome man right there, he worked with ACORN back when he was housing secretary — right around the same time that he was pleading guilty to lying to the FBI during background checks. But who hasn't lied to the FBI?

Then there's Harvey Hirschfeld. He's the president of LawCash. They give loans for lawsuits — love that! Harvey, keep it up. ACORN refers clients to him in Brooklyn.

Then there's John Banks. He is the president of government relations at Con Ed, big ACORN funder.

Community organizer Dave Beckwith — love him. He's got the Needmor Fund, as in need more, please, one of ACORN's top donors.

And last but not least, one of the members of the ACORN advisory board has jumped ship. Yes, they lost him. Citigroup's senior VP, Eric Eve, resigned from the council in September. He helped ACORN in New York plan its 25th anniversary party. So, he's more of a party planner than an ACORN advisory council.

So, they chose the man who conducted this independent investigation of ACORN, former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger. He's the former president of Common Cause — that's a foundation that has George Soros as one of its funders!

Oh, my gosh! There's no red flags here. Nothing to see here, people — move on.

By the way, Soros is a big ACORN funder, as well. It's a small — it gives me an idea. Just write down it's a small world, will you?

There seems to be a culture of corruption among some of the left — seems to be. Some of them, it seems, are a little above the law. Others seem to squeak by until somebody notices.

Let's look at some of the people that President Obama has close to him and his supporters.

First, we have Robert Creamer, he is the felon.

We have — we have Bill Ayers. I don't know him at all — cofounder of the Weather Underground. But he doesn't.

Then there's Jeff Jones, this guy, he's the other cofounder of the Weather Underground. He doesn't know him, but he knows him, yes, yes.

Extreme radical, Cass Sunstein here, who is our regulatory "czar." The most dangerous man in America.

Van Jones, 9/11 Truther and self-proclaimed communist. He was —he was kicked out, but don't worry, he didn't go far. He's just over here with John Podesta. That's it.

Now, you have all these tax cheats over here: You know, you got Timothy Geithner and, you know, Ron Kirk and then Kathleen Sebelius.

And Hilda Solis — she's great, labor secretary. But it was her husband's tax problems there, not her — husband.

And then, of course, Tom Daschle. He withdrew his nomination after his tax problems.

And this lady did, too, Nancy, she is sweet.

So, these guys are all tax cheats. These are radicals. He's a felon. These are tax cheats. He just went to the grand jury. This guy just didn't know — propaganda, what propaganda? I don't know. She's just a Mao fan.

That's it. I mean, no big deal. That's it. I mean, what, you're not hanging out with these people? Come on? Of course, you are. Of course, you are. That's just the way you roll, you know?

I wouldn't trust any of these people with my children, let alone my children's future.

It is a culture of corruption — a culture that doesn't mind the ethics just slide a little bit. It's a culture that tolerates excuses. Oh, the tax thing, it was an accident. It was my husband's fault. I didn't do it, he did it. I didn't mean to do it. I was just working hard for the people.

How did we get here? You know, in the 1990s, we said that it didn't matter. Character didn't matter. You know, some excuses, you know, "Hey, it was just about an affair. It didn't matter." Really? It does, America.

How much farther can we put this bar? How much farther can we lower the bar? We have ex-cons, criminals, tax cheats, I mean, what do you say we pick the bar up from the ground — I think we have dug a hole for the bar. What do you say we just put it up about this far, you know, until we get onto that one?

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