Brooklyn prosecutors clear local ACORN office

An investigation finds James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles edited their tape to make ACORN look worse

Published March 1, 2010 10:30PM (EST)

A four-month investigation by the Brooklyn district attorney found no evidence that the local ACORN office had engaged in any criminal conduct, despite the hype conservative media gave to tapes of a fake prostitute asking for help from the organization.

"They edited the tape to meet their agenda," a law enforcement source told the New York Daily News, which reported the investigation's results on Monday.

The Brooklyn office was one of several ACORN sites visited by James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles for their hidden camera report that, they claimed, "proved" the organization was helping prostitutes and pimps engage in child sex slavery. (Though Breitbart seems to like pretending otherwise, there was no actual prostitution involved.) But as the decision by prosecutors not to file any charges underscores, the only thing O'Keefe really proved is that ACORN employed some people who were easily duped into playing along with his stunt.

Breitbart, meanwhile, has refused to release the full videotapes of any of the ACORN visits. He says his critics may not "have the stomach to deal with" what's on the tapes. But if Brooklyn authorities are any guide, there may not be all that much there, anyway.


By Mike Madden

Mike Madden is Salon's Washington correspondent. A complete listing of his articles is here. Follow him on Twitter here.

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Acorn Andrew Breitbart James O'keefe War Room