McCain Campaign Press Release - Campaign Statement on Former ACORN Affliliate Employee's Testimony in Court Linking Obama Campaign Directly to ACORN Activity

ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, McCain-Palin 2008 campaign manager Rick Davis released the following statement in response to the testimony given by a former employee of an ACORN affiliate in a Pennsylvania court of law:

"Today's testimony by a former employee of an ACORN affiliate proves Barack Obama is guilty of lying to the American people about his relationship with ACORN. At the last presidential debate, in front of sixty million people, Barack Obama said his campaign was not involved' with ACORN. We now know that Barack Obama's campaign was working hand-in-glove with an organization reportedly under investigation by the F.B.I. and in more than a dozen states. In addition to funneling $832,000 to ACORN for get-out-the-vote efforts, the Obama campaign and ACORN have been sharing donor lists, encouraging maxed-out Obama donors to contribute to this unethical organization."

Today, A Former Employee Of ACORN's Sister Organization Testified That A "Donor List" From Barack Obama's Campaign Was Provided In Late 2007 For Fundraising Efforts. "A former staffer for an affiliate of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now testified today that the organization was provided a donor list' from the presidential campaign of Barack Obama in late 2007 for fundraising efforts. Anita Moncrief, a former Washington, D.C. staffer for Project Vote, which she described as a sister organization of ACORN, said her supervisor told her the list of campaign contributors came from the Obama campaign. Moncrief said she has a copy of a development plan' that outlines how Obama contributors who had maxed out' under federal contribution limits would be targeted to give to Project Vote, and that it was her job to identify such contributors. Moncrief testified that ACORN and Project Vote were virtually identical ." (Brad Bumsted, "Former ACORN Staffer Testifies," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 10/29/08)

During A Presidential Debate, Barack Obama Said He Was Not Involved With ACORN. BARACK OBAMA: "Now, with respect to ACORN, ACORN is a community organization. Apparently what they've done is they were paying people to go out and register folks, and apparently some of the people who were out there didn't really register people, they just filled out a bunch of names. It had nothing to do with us. We were not involved. The only involvement I've had with ACORN was I represented them alongside the U.S. Justice Department in making Illinois implement a motor voter law that helped people get registered at DMVs." (Senator Barack Obama, 2008 Presidential Debate, Hempstead, NY 10/15/08)

Barack Obama Started Working With ACORN In 1992. "What's more, Obama worked as executive directo r of ACORN's voter-registration arm, Project Vote, in 1992." (Editorial, "Is ACORN Stealing The Election?" Investor's Business Daily http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=308358130652174 , 10/8/08)

Barack Obama Represented ACORN In A Lawsuit. "The latest wave of ACORN investigations has provided Republicans with both an opening to assail an old foe, and a new line of criticism to use against the Democratic presidential nominee, who represented ACORN in a lawsuit in the 1990s." (Alexander Burns, "ACORN Gives GOP New Line Of Attack," Politico http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008 /14492.html , 10/11/08)

Barack Obama Trained ACORN Staff. "At the time, Talbot worked at the social action group ACORN and initially considered Obama a competitor. But she became so impressed with his work that she invited him to help train her staff." (Letta Tayler and Keith Herbert, "Obama Forged Path As Chicago Community Organizer," Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usobam025598601mar02,1,6933215,full.story , 3/2/08)

When Barack Obama Was On The Board Of Directors Of The Woods Fund, ACORN Received $190,000 Of Grants From The Organization. (Donors Forum Website,http://ifs.donorsforum.org , Accessed 6/10/08)

Barack Obama's Campaign "Paid More Than $800,000" To An ACORN Affiliate For Get-Out-The Vote Efforts. "U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign paid more than $800,000 to an offshoot of the liberal Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now for services the Democrat's campaign says it mistakenly misrepresented in federal reports." (David M. Brown, "Obama To Amend Report On $800,000 In Spending," Pittsburgh Tribune Review, 8/22/08)

ACORN's Political Action Committee Endorsed Barack Obama. "ACORN's Political Action Committee, ACORN Votes, announced Feb. 21 that it had endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for President." (ACORN, "ACORN's Political Action Committee Endorses Obama," Press Release Acorn.org , 2/21/08)