ACORN needs a hard look Employees of the taxpayer-funded organization are involved in another mess. Past good work is tarnished.

Videos showing ACORN employees in several cities who appear willing to abet prostitution, tax fraud, illegal immigration, and sex trafficking in minors are damning. So much so, that an internal investigation by the taxpayer-funded activist group isn't nearly enough.

Congress may stop its funding of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R., Ohio) says ACORN has received $54 million in federal funds since 1994.

ACORN was already under investigation for several voter-registration fraud cases. The hidden-camera videos released on Fox News further tarnish the reputation of an organization that has done commendable work to provide affordable housing to inner-city residents.

Those past good works are easily forgotten after viewing five videos made by independent filmmaker James O'Keefe and his associate Hannah Giles. Posing as a pimp and a prostitute, they visited a number of ACORN offices seeking housing aid for what would be a brothel where Giles would work, along with underage girls brought in illegally from El Salvador.

The scammers were rebuffed in a number of cities, including Philadelphia, but ACORN employees caught on O'Keefe's hidden camera in Baltimore, Washington, Brooklyn, and San Bernardino and San Diego, Calif., seemed eager to help. By the way, O'Keefe and Giles may face prosecution for violating a Maryland law that makes it illegal to tape someone without permission.

The first video shows a Baltimore ACORN staffer searching the tax code to find a more legal- sounding term for prostitution. They decide on "performance artist." As to the minors picking up tricks, the staffer said that since they are underage, they can be listed as "dependents."

The San Diego video shows an ACORN staffer providing tips on smuggling girls through Mexico.

The Census Bureau has dropped ACORN as a partner in next year's count. The Senate has voted to cut off housing funding, but the House yesterday voted to halt all federal funding. Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) suggests a full investigation before that occurs. That's the best approach. Right now, criticism of ACORN is based on the actions of a few employees. The consequences should reflect the severity of the crime.