Contact: Kimber Abbott, 703-392-7676

MANASSAS, VA, Sept. 16 /Christian Newswire/ -- Mark Fitzgibbons, President of Corporate and Legal Affairs of American Target Advertising, Inc., Manassas, Virginia, issued the following statement regarding the failure of state attorneys general to take action against ACORN:

"Despite years of warning signs about voter fraud, embezzlement and other potentially criminal behavior by and within the Association for Community Organizing and Reform Now (ACORN), only a handful of state attorneys general apparently didn't need to be embarrassed by recent alternative media reporting and videos before taking some action against ACORN. Most state attorneys general have sat by idly, perhaps for political reasons with a trail quite probably leading to Washington, while ACORN has been busy racking up unchecked legal offenses.

"State attorneys general long ago should have investigated ACORN, and enforced various state laws against it. State attorneys general claim to have unique regulatory and enforcement authority over nonprofit organizations. Along with other state charitable oversight officials that require nonprofits to file information purportedly to prevent violations of law, state attorneys general have unique access to information that could have been used to take action against ACORN. Were they asleep, derelict in their duty, or worse?

"The question must be asked: was their failure to act the result of direct and indirect political support of Democratic politicians by ACORN, its direct affiliates, and its indirect affiliates such as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)?

"For example, the ACORN Financial Justice Center graded state attorneys general in 2008 on their work in the home foreclosure crisis, which many believe ACORN-supported policies helped create. Basing its grades on factors including endorsing Senator Chris Dodd's and other federal Democratic legislation, and using taxpayer funds to train pro bono lawyers, ACORN gave grades of A+ only to Democratic attorneys general. The list of ACORN's A+ attorneys general by state: Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut), Martha Coakely (Massachusetts), Andrew Cuomo (New York), Lisa Madigan (Illinois), Tom Miller (Iowa), and Lori Swanson (Minnesota).

"Perhaps its time to investigate and review why so many state attorneys general failed to act, or act sooner, against ACORN. Attorneys general should begin by disclosing contributions received from, state taxpayer funding for, and attorneys' general ties, meetings and financial affiliations with, ACORN and its vast network."

NOTE TO EDITORS: Richard A. Viguerie's American Target Advertising, Inc. first pioneered grassroots ideological marketing and fundraising in 1965.