Rep. Steve King: ACORN scandal bigger than Watergate

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) on Monday claimed that allegations of wrongdoing surrounding the community group ACORN are bigger than the Watergate scandal that brought down the President Richard Nixon.

King, a long-time critic of ACORN, told the conservative American Spectator that the ACORN scandals have been worse because they affect state, local and national politics.

"It's thousands of times bigger than Watergate because Watergate was only a little break-in by a couple of guys," said King. "By the time we pull ACORN out by its roots America's going to understand just how big this is." 

The House Judiciary Committee member described the ACORN saga as "the largest corruption crisis in the history of America."

King and other conservatives have pushed for congressional investigations of ACORN [Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now] after several of its employees were caught on camera giving financial advice to two individuals posing as a pimp and prostitute. 

Congress subsequently voted to temporarily strip the group of its federal funding. 

Several Democratic lawmakers have said that the vote to strip the group of funding was a violation of its bill of attainder rights, which bans a legislature for punishing an individual or group without being convicted at trial. 

In the interview King says that the group has direct ties to the White House and other powerful Democratic constituencies such as the labor movement.

Conservatives also have accused the group of engaging in voter registration fraud during the 2008 elections, during which the Democrats grew their majority in Congress and voters elected Barack Obama president.

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