House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Darrell Issa (R-CA) released the following statement today regarding the report commissioned by ACORN released by Scott Harshbarger report on ACORN:

Luther Scott Harshbarger, a lawyer and a Democratic politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts hired to "Investigate" ACORN.

“How surprising is it that a report paid for by ACORN exonerates them?  There are numerous federal and state investigations currently underway that should ultimately produce a legitimate finding regarding ACORN’s illegal activities.  The reality is ACORN has masqueraded as charitable organization in order to fund and advance a partisan political agenda.  There is no mechanism in place to follow where the use of taxpayer and charitable dollars end and where funds used to pay for their political activities begin.

“At a joint Oversight-Judiciary Committee forum last week, we heard from state government officials and an ACORN whistleblower about the fraudulent and deceptive tactics ACORN uses to manipulate the same people it purports to serve.  The more we have learned about the inner-working of ACORN and its affiliates, the more apparent it becomes that this organization is intentionally structured to deceive and mislead the American people.”