The FNC host then played clips of Obama in which the then-Senator declared himself to be a "friend" of ACORN, and, as he invited the group’s "input," he promised that "You don’t have to ask me about that. I’m going to call you even if you didn’t ask me." Obama also asserted that when he ran a voter registration drive in Ilinois, "ACORN was smack dab in the middle of it," and declared that he had "been always a partner" with the liberal group while he was in the Senate.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Monday, February 22, The O’Reilly Factor on FNC:
BILL O’REILLY: Check one: President Obama has avoided the subject of ACORN ever since that activist group got into a lot of trouble. But there is a new tape, recorded in 2007, and discovered by Republican Congressman Darrell Issa’s office. The tape is heavily edited, so keep that in mind.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, CLIP #1: You know you’ve got a friend in me, and I definitely welcome ACORN’s input. You don’t have to ask me about that. I’m going to call you even if you didn’t ask me.
OBAMA CLIP #2: When I ran Project Vote, voter registration drive in Illinois, you know, ACORN was smack dab in the middle of it.
OBAMA CLIP #3: Once I was elected, there wasn’t a campaign that ACORN worked on down in Springfield that I wasn’t right there with you.
OBAMA CLIP #4: Since I’ve been in the United States Senate, I’ve been always a partner with ACORN as well.
OBAMA CLIP #5: I’ve been fighting with ACORN, alongside ACORN, on issues you care about my entire career.
O’REILLY: Now, that’s not really surprising. ACORN is a liberal organization and helps the Democratic party and obviously then-Senator Obama was a Democrat.
