ACORN Loses Rep. Barney Frank's Support...That's It! They're Through

Frank Turns Against ACORN

In a stunning turnaround, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is distancing himself from ACORN, blasting their response to a string of recent scandals -- and contradicting a staffer who said the congressman would have voted against a GOP-sponsored bill banning the group from federal funding.

In a rambling, contrite, at times bombastic statement to reporters, Frank apologized for "a number of factors, one of which in particular is my own fault, have contributed to my position on ACORN being unclear."

His "biggest error," he wrote was signing off on a recent letter -- jointly written with Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) -- requesting that the Congressional Research Service audit the group.

Frank said he "had not thoroughly read" the letter "which does not accurately represent my own position in all aspects."

Yet later in the statement, Frank seems to imply he still supports the idea of a CRS study, saying, "I cosigned the letter because I do think it is important that we get accurate and complete information on ACORN funding."

An email requesting clarification from his office weren't immediately returned. An email sent to ACORN wasn't immediately returned.

Last week, Frank's office reported that he skipped the vote to attend a White House ceremony bestowing the Congressional Medal of Honor on a fallen Massachusetts soldier. When asked for his position on the bill, Frank's spokesman said the Financial Services chairman would have voted against the "Defund ACORN Act,” which passed 345-75.

"[T]hrough a misunderstanding with a member of my staff, it was incorrectly reported that I said I would have voted against the motion to defund ACORN," he said in the statement. "In fact, I would have voted for the motion at that time. I am very disappointed in the actions that were taken by members of ACORN, and I do not believe that ACORN’s response has been adequate for an organization that has received public funding."

That said, Frank seemed to cast his lot with Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), who has argued the measure may be unconstitutional by violating Article 1's prohibition on so-called "bills of attainder."

And he blasted away at Republican critics, who have claimed the embattled group would be eligible for billions in funding under various Obama administration programs.

"The wild claims that ACORN is the potential beneficiary of billions of dollars in programs voted by Congress is similarly a sad example of excessive partisanship," he wrote.

But Frank reserves his harshest criticism for ACORN, a group he's long defended.

"I have previously communicated to ACORN my dissatisfaction with their lax supervision of employees and volunteers. The fact that people who were improperly registered to vote did not actually cast ballots in no way excuses the organization’s failure to exercise better control in this way. Further, the motivation of those who went to ACORN offices and initiated the discussions involving prostitution are wholly irrelevant to the fact that ACORN’s employees’ actions were outrageous and further indication of an organization that is at best poorly run in many regards. The defense against sting operations is not to ban them, but to behave properly so that they do not reveal as they did in this case clear evidence of gross impropriety."

Sources: Politico, MSNBC, House.gov