ACORN Responds to Voter Registration Charges

This is a rush transcript from "Glenn Beck," May 6, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GLENN BECK, HOST: It's the organization that became infamous during the last presidential election for voter fraud — for voter registration fraud.

This Monday, criminal charges were filed once again against ACORN, this time in Nevada.

Yesterday, I spoke to the Nevada secretary of state on this program — a Democrat, by the way — about the charges.

Tonight, it's ACORN's turn to respond to the charges. ACORN national spokesperson Scott Levenson joins me now.

Hello, Scott.

SCOTT LEVENSON, ACORN NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON: Hi. How are you doing, Glenn?

BECK: Good. How are you?

So, what happened in Nevada? They say that you — you just made up a bunch of names.

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LEVENSON: Well, there are several things that are going on. We've said all along throughout the fall, over the last several months, that we never had a quota system. We never paid people by the individual form. And I think what you'll find when the Nevada facts roll out that that's exactly what's the case.

BECK: OK. You never — you've never offered anybody money to, you know, to get extra — there's no blackjack system....

(CROSSTALK)

LEVENSON: No, let's be clear, Glenn. Across the board nationally, ACORN has a system of not paying people for services...

BECK: OK. But what about in Nevada?

LEVENSON: In Nevada, we had a guy who was doing something that was wrong, quite frankly, Glenn.

BECK: OK. So...

LEVENSON: Our supervisors — our supervisors found out about it, ordered him to stop.

BECK: OK.

LEVENSON: It seems that what, in fact, happened is he didn't stop. But I think...

BECK: OK. Hang on just a second. I just want to make sure I understand.

LEVENSON: Yes.

BECK: So, you're saying that ACORN didn't do it?

LEVENSON: I'm actually saying that ACORN, as a matter of national policy, does not have that system.

BECK: I understand. I mean Nevada.

LEVENSON: Correct.

BECK: In Nevada, you didn't do it. It was what?

LEVENSON: In fact, it was an employee.

BECK: It was an employee.

LEVENSON: Correct.

BECK: So, you had a bad employee.

LEVENSON: We had a bad employee.

BECK: OK. Let me ask you this: In Missouri, eight workers pleaded guilty to election fraud; Washington State, seven indicted, three pleaded guilty; Colorado, two convicted of perjury for false registration forms.

LEVENSON: Do you want to take this one at a time?

BECK: Yes, hang on. No. Wisconsin, workers charged with election for filling out false forms to meet daily quotas; New Mexico, forced to run background checks because nine ACORN employees had felony records.

LEVENSON: Glenn, where are you reading this from? Glenn, where are you reading this from?

BECK: This is just out of the news. You have 14 states...

LEVENSON: But again, it's out of the news.

BECK: You have 14 states, your employees pleaded guilty.

LEVENSON: Correct.

BECK: So — right. So, what you're asking me to believe is that you guys are innocent.

LEVENSON: Well, what I'm...

BECK: It's just that you have bad employees.

LEVENSON: What I'm asking you to believe as I would ask you to believe with any major corporation that has employee theft.

BECK: Right.

LEVENSON: When there is employee...

BECK: OK.

LEVENSON: Well, let me finish that thought...

BECK: No. OK, let's just...

LEVENSON: Please let me finish that thought.

(CROSSTALK)

LEVENSON: Glenn, please, let me take it one step further, please. If I just...

BECK: Go ahead.

LEVENSON: In each of the cases that you walked us through, we've turned over evidence to the authorities. In each of the cases...

BECK: That's fantastic. I know.

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: No. You're saying you guys have bad employees. You've had...

LEVENSON: It happened.

BECK: I know.

LEVENSON: It happened.

BECK: Every company has bad employees.

LEVENSON: Out of 13,000 employees, we had a few bad apples.

BECK: Let me show you another bad employee. Can we — can we roll the — see if you remember this guy.

LEVENSON: OK.

BECK: This has nothing to do with ACORN. You remember this guy? Remember this guy? This is the guy out of Burger King that was a bad employee, a rogue employee. He was taking a bath in a Burger King sink. You remember this story?

LEVENSON: I don't.

BECK: OK. It's a big deal. And he took a — rouge employee. Burger King doesn't have a policy of people bathing in their sinks, right? You don't have a policy to — but that's one rogue employee. If there was a story that there were several employees in 14 different states...

LEVENSON: There were what, Glenn? That were bathing in the sink?

BECK: No, I'm just saying.

(CROSSTALK)

LEVENSON: Wait, this is the parallel? This is the parallel?

BECK: Yes, it is.

LEVENSON: You are comparing bathing in the sink...

BECK: If you as a company — yes, with fraud. If you as a company...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: If you were Burger King and you had about 40 employees that were doing that, it wouldn't be a problem with rogue employees. It would be a problem with the company.

LEVENSON: Glenn, you're talking...

BECK: You would be a bad manager.

LEVENSON: You named 20 workers out of 13,000.

BECK: I know.

LEVENSON: That's what you named.

BECK: I showed you one bathing in a sink...

LEVENSON: So, what is the percentage?

BECK: Which is — which is worse?

LEVENSON: What is the percentage of that?

BECK: Which is worse: bathing in a sink or fraud?

(CROSSTALK)

LEVENSON: But let's go further, but let's go further. But, Glenn, I want to ask you something.

BECK: Yes, go ahead.

LEVENSON: Throughout the fall, FOX talked about Mickey Mouse voting...

BECK: Yes.

LEVENSON: And Jimmy Johns voting...

BECK: Yes.

LEVENSON: It's now six months after the election.

BECK: Right.

LEVENSON: Where is the fear because clearly...

BECK: No.

LEVENSON: Clearly, not one person have we been able to find...

BECK: Yes.

LEVENSON: Who voted inappropriately that we registered, not one.

BECK: No.

LEVENSON: Not one.

BECK: No. We've seen lots of fraud.

LEVENSON: Wait a second. But we're not talking fraud. Wait a second, in fact, we weren't charged.

BECK: Yes.

LEVENSON: Well, let's be clear.

BECK: Voter registration fraud...

LEVENSON: Is not what we were charged with. In fact...

BECK: Oh, you were — you just were in these other states. OK. So...

LEVENSON: No, our employees were in other states.

BECK: You're employees just like...

(CROSSTALK)

LEVENSON: Just like Wal-Mart employees...

BECK: If you had that many employees bathing in the sink in many...

(CROSSTALK)

LEVENSON: How many Wal-Mart employees that we were charged...

BECK: If you had that many — shut his mike off!

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: If he had that many employees at Burger King bathing in the sink, would you ever eat a burger there? Ever? No. This is unreasonable to believe he has that many bad employees.

Let me ask you this question — you can speak now. Let me ask you this question. Are you so afraid of the Republicans that you have to invent voters? Are you — are you that afraid? I mean, the Republicans can be beaten without voter registration fraud.

LEVENSON: Where is it? Where are the voters we invented?

BECK: Voter registration...

LEVENSON: Where are the voters that we invented?

BECK: I think it's about 23,000 of them in Nevada.

LEVENSON: Oh, really? You should read those facts because in fact...

BECK: Yes, really?

LEVENSON: Yes, really, Glenn, because you read your facts 23,000 with the amount of people who voted...

BECK: Oh, I'm sorry.

(CROSSTALK)

LEVENSON: But it's different. It's a little bit different, Glenn, don't you think?

BECK: Yes, you're right.

LEVENSON: Facts are kind of important.

(CROSSTALK)

LEVENSON: Have you registered a voter, Glenn?

BECK: Have I registered a voter?

LEVENSON: Have you ever registered someone to vote?

BECK: No, I haven't.

LEVENSON: OK. So, you have no idea what it's like to register a voter.

BECK: I know it's so hard. You know what, that's why you have to...

(CROSSTALK)

LEVENSON: Do you know the process?

BECK: Hang on.

LEVENSON: Do you know the process?

BECK: Is it difficult?

LEVENSON: Do you know the process?

BECK: Yes or no, sir? Is it difficult?

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: A really simple question, it's even easier. Is it difficult?

LEVENSON: Is it difficult work?

BECK: Yes, is it a difficult work? It is?

LEVENSON: Yes, it is actually hard, Glenn.

BECK: So, let me ask you this, why would you...

LEVENSON: And let me explain this...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: If it's difficult, why have you hired people who have been imprisoned for fraud — identity theft?

LEVENSON: Excuse me? I mean, really, excuse me. Do you really want to go and talk about that case?

BECK: Yes.

LEVENSON: Do you want to talk about the furlough program that the state authored?

BECK: Identity fraud.

LEVENSON: Listen, the furlough program...

BECK: Identity fraud.

LEVENSON: The furlough program that the state offered who released these people to work for us.

BECK: It's so hard. I apparently can't do it because it's so hard. How could you hire people with identity fraud?

LEVENSON: When you throw out these numbers like 23,000, you aren't even clear what the 23,000 was, Glenn.

BECK: Help me out. Identity fraud — you have nobody? Nobody?

LEVENSON: Do you not hear me on the state furlough program?

BECK: Do you not — identity fraud?

LEVENSON: Excuse me?

BECK: Excuse me? Are you talking to me?

LEVENSON: I've got a state furlough program — the furlough program.

BECK: Let me ask you this...

LEVENSON: Sure, Glenn.

BECK: Let me ask you this question.

LEVENSON: Please.

BECK: Name a couple of Republicans that you've backed.

LEVENSON: A couple of Republicans? I can't off the top of my head.

BECK: There has got to be a couple.

LEVENSON: I can't off the top of my head...

BECK: How about one?

LEVENSON: ...as I said.

BECK: One. Just one.

LEVENSON: The first one — I'm sorry.

BECK: One -

LEVENSON: English is my first language, so maybe I should try something else. Not one. I can't.

BECK: You can't?

LEVENSON: Not from the top of my head. No.

BECK: I'll give you time.

LEVENSON: Thanks.

BECK: He's just thinking. He's trying to come up with one person.

LEVENSON: No, I'm...

BECK: No, no, no. Because you don't...

(CROSSTALK)

LEVENSON: Are you playing the game of gotcha, Glenn?

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: I'm not playing gotcha. Just one. Just one.

LEVENSON: When we talked about the 23,000, that wasn't good enough.

BECK: You're right. I just want one. Not 23,000.

LEVENSON: When we talked about the state furlough program, that wasn't good enough.

BECK: Just one.

LEVENSON: When we talked about the fact that we weren't committing registration, that wasn't good enough.

BECK: Thank you.

LEVENSON: Anytime.

BECK: You bet.

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