New York Pols Pimp-Slap ACORN

Despite the antique media's best efforts at downplaying the mushrooming ACORN scandal, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and New York City Council President Christine Quinn, Democrats both, are moving quickly to freeze local funding to this criminal enterprise.

State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo yesterday launched an investigation into pork-barrel grants given to ACORN by state lawmakers, as City Council Speaker Christine Quinn froze all city funding earmarked for the scandal-scared community-activism organization.

The actions by the Democratic officials followed release of a shocking undercover video that showed employees at a Brooklyn ACORN office giving illicit financial advice to activists posing as a pimp and prostitute who wanted to start a brothel.

The agency was among several ACORN affiliates, including offices in Baltimore, Washington and San Bernardino, Calif., exposed in the hidden-camera sting.

On Monday, the US Senate voted overwhelmingly to block federal funding to the community group, while Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes opened an investigation into the local office in response to a report in The Post.

A spokesman for Cuomo said the attorney general would seek to make sure pork-barrel grants directed to ACORN by state lawmakers were spent on tax-preparation and loan-counseling services, as intended.

"We are now closely monitoring that investigation to preserve the integrity of state funds," Cuomo spokesman Richard Bamberger said.

"We will be reviewing member-item contracts involving ACORN in light of the district attorney's investigation."

A source told The Post that Cuomo is considering freezing any funds set aside for ACORN until after Hynes completes his investigation.

A spokesman for state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said the state's financial watchdogs would also flag future payments to ACORN for extra scrutiny.

Meanwhile, Quinn went a step further, suspending all ACORN grants sponsored by City Council members until Hynes concludes his investigation, according to one city lawmaker Quinn told about the move.

Some ACORN spokesthing naturally offers a mealy-mouthed excuse but it's pretty clear the videotaped incidents at ACORN offices around the country are having an effect on this outlaw group so closely connected to Democrats. House and Senate Democrats will do their best to quash any investigation but if the states begin pursuing this independently there may be some hope this mob can finally be de-funded.

I love this comment from a Post reader:

Could Andrew Cuomo phone his brother Chris over at ABC (All Barack Channel) to tell him about this scandel? Curiously, no one over there seems to know anything about this.