*Synopsis: Anita Moncrief is a former employee of ACORN and an American whistleblower. She testified before the Joint House Oversight Committee & Judiciary Committee about corruption at the non-profit. She also alleges collusion between the U.S. Department of Justice and particular lawsuits across the country. Her statement to the U.S. House Committee on Oversight & Accountability (2009) includes the following: “ACORN has shown itself to be a thoroughly corrupt organization that cannot be reformed and whose activities are detrimental to minorities, the poor and America as a whole.”

Generally speaking, illegitimate organizations can occur on the political left or the political right. They could also be front organizations for criminal activity, foreign national groups, and/or terrorism. If they choose to target the legitimate complaints of communities of color or the poor, the situation could turn exploitative very quickly.

The testimony of Anita Moncrief remains relevant today as allegations circulate that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has engaged in collusion with Big Tech social media companies for political weaponization. If true, this sets a dangerous new precedent for the country. And harkens back to the infamous era of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.

Anita Moncrief is a former employee of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). This non-profit was founded in 1970 with a mission to assist the poor and marginalized communities of color. Ms. Moncrief describes herself as idealistic and eager to join ACORN. Later, she would discover corruption at the non-profit, that in turn, would lead her to become a whistleblower. She worked with the New York Times to expose ACORN. She also testified before the Joint House Oversight Committee & Judiciary Committee in December 2009.

ACORN was accused of voter fraud, grant fraud, and misconduct. Ms. Moncrief alleges collusion between the Obama administration and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). She states: “I am calling for two things: 1.) A congressional investigation into the activities of ACORN, Project Vote, the Obama administration and its relation to the DOJ in these Section 7 lawsuits across the country…” (time-stamp 4:24). 1  She discusses the tactics used by the non-profit: “They put a Black face up there, in the time of crisis, to make it look like it was an organization run by Black people. But it never was” (time-stamp 7:58). 2  At the committee hearing she states: “What happens is, ACORN allows for people to kinda blur the line, in order to get the job done, or help the movement…There are some offices where people are genuinely trying to help the poor. But usually, those people do not last long and they end up leaving ACORN. The ones that stick around tend to become jaded and would give that type of advice” (time-stamp 1:36:15). 3   

The Joint House Oversight Committee & Judiciary Committee (2009) held a hearing about ACORN’s activities. U.S House Representative Ted Poe (Republican, Texas, District 2 109th-115th (2005-2019) states: “The more we learn about the organization, the less it looks like a grass roots community organization, and more like a criminal enterprise. A nation wide criminal enterprise” (time-stamp 28:45). 4  U.S. House Representative Lamar Smith (Republican, Texas, District 21 100th-115th (1987-2019) states: “For years ACORN has been the subject of allegations of fraud, misconduct, and criminal activity. ACORN has been investigated for voter registration fraud in over a dozen states. It’s employees have been charged with 50 different counts of election related fraud” (time-stamp 2:08). 5  The committee also expressed concern about the FBI and IRS hesitancy to investigate these allegations.  

Anita Moncrief demonstrates courage with the decision to become a whistleblower. Generally speaking, illegitimate organizations can occur on the political left or the political right. They could also be front organizations for criminal activity, foreign national groups, and/or terrorism. If they choose to target the legitimate complaints of marginalized communities of color or the poor, the situation could turn exploitative very quickly. Her statement to the U.S. House Committee on Oversight & Accountability (2009) includes the following: “ACORN has shown itself to be a thoroughly corrupt organization that cannot be reformed and whose activities are detrimental to minorities, the poor and America as a whole.”

She provides a prophetic warning for the public in 2011 about the potential for global ramifications: “And this is going to sound crazy. Because I tell people all the time, they think social media and Facebook and Twitter are just for fun. But after Iran and the things that happened in 2009. People should realize it is life-changing” (time-stamp 11:59). 6

The testimony of Anita Moncrief remains relevant today as allegations circulate that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has engaged in collusion with Big Tech social media companies for political weaponization. If true, this sets a dangerous new precedent for the country. And harkens back to the infamous era of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Happy Women’s History Month!

Bibliography

(1) “Anita Moncrief, ex-Acorn worker, speaks on Voter ID” YouTube video, 5:55. “Michael Openshaw,” December 15th, 2011.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6cOyD0uCPg

(2, 6)“WI-CFL 2011 Annual Conference – Anita Moncrief ACORN Whistleblower” YouTube video, 18:11. “Crye55,” May 4th, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=344zseAQhQM

(3, 4, 5) “Allegations Against ACORN” CSPAN video, 2:04:03. The House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform Committees. December 1st, 2009. https://www.c-span.org/video/?290347-1/allegations-acorn

*Notice: This updated repost article: “Power of the Whistleblower” was first published in the August 2024 Edition. Anita Moncrief was also featured in the Special Edition: A Nation in Apostasy? (May 2022).

1.) CSPAN: Allegations Against ACORN (December 2009)

“Republican members of the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform Committees talked about recent allegations against ACORN and congressional bans on federal funding for the organization.”-CSPAN 

2.) HuffPost: Opinion: The Business Of Black Death And A $6 Million Mansion (April 2022)

“Ferguson activist Darren Seals tried to warn the rest of America that the Black Lives Matter organization was not the sacred cow everyone believed it to be.”–Stephen A. Crockett Jr.

3.) CNBC: Mark Zuckerberg says White House ‘pressured’ Meta to ‘censor’ Covid-19 content (August 2024)

“Zuckerberg said it was ultimately Meta’s decision to take down any content, but he noted he believes that the alleged “government pressure was wrong.”-Arjun Kharpal