The "Glenn Beck Program" had a segment today on Fox News about
the connection between ACORN
and the Tides
Foundation. (I can't find a video clip of the segment online
yet.)
He said that Drummond Pike, head of the Tides Foundation, wrote a
personal check for about $700,000 to ACORN to cover the bulk of
the $948,000 that Dale Rathke, brother of ACORN founder Wade
Rathke, embezzled from the ACORN network.
The Tides Foundation is a pass-through entity. Wealthy liberals
give the charity money, take the tax deduction, and then tell
Tides which causes to give their money to. The money is then
given in the name of Tides and the real donor's name is withheld.
Pike has said that keeping the identity of Tides donors secret is
very important.
Wade Rathke, who was expelled by ACORN's national board last
summer for his role in covering up the embezzlement, is a
member of the Tides board. Suspicious? You betcha.
Meanwhile, ACORN stands accused of election fraud, extortion, and
racketeering, yet congressional leaders have no interest in
investigating the group. House Financial Services Committee
Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) and House Judiciary Committee
chairman
John Conyers (D-Michigan) refuse to probe ACORN.
Why?
In a clip shown on Beck's show today, reporter Griff Jenkins
asked Frank about ACORN. Frank, who claims ACORN is
not eligible for $8.5 billion in federal funding, tried
to blame ACORN on the out-of-office Bush administration.
The congressman probably won't do anything about ACORN. Why would
he? ACORN supporters are his power base.
