Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R), who's facing a serious challenge from Harry Mitchell (D) this fall, just loves the Minutemen Project, that hearty band of patriots who patrol the Mexican border in night-goggles. Last year Hayworth held a press conference insisting that President Bush apologize for maligning the group, which he has called “extraordinary Americans.”

Well, here's something that Hayworth might not find so extraordinary: The group is facing questions about its finances. It looks like some of the border-patrol boys are wondering where the money they collect has been going, and they can't quite fathom how it ended up at a charity controlled by conservative commentator Alan Keyes. How can vigilante border cops do their duty if the money isn't there to pay for radios and night-vision scopes?

From the Associated Press:

Some members of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps say they have no idea how much money has been collected since the group was created in April 2005. They are also questioning what the money has been spent on and why it has been funneled through a northern Virginia-based charity headed by conservative commentator Alan Keyes.

The members say money promised for items such as food, fuel, radios, night-vision scopes, and binoculars never reached volunteers manning observation posts to spot and report illegal border crossers.

The organization has not made any financial statements or fundraising records public since it was created. It also has sought and received extensions of its federal reporting requirements.

Several of the group's top lieutenants either have quit or have threatened to do so, saying requests to Minuteman President Chris Simcox for financial accountability have been ignored, The Times reported.

[Gary Cole, the Minutemen's former national director of operations] said he was removed by Simcox as a national director of the border campaign "for asking too many questions about the money."

In an interview with The Times, Simcox estimated about $1.6 million in donations has been collected by the group, including $1 million directly to the Minutemen and $600,000 for a fence on the U.S.-Mexico border, Simcox said.

All of the money has been handled through the Herndon, Va.-based Declaration Alliance, which is chaired by Keyes.

For more on this whole business, check out The Washington Times. And incidentally, another Arizona Republican who might be scratching his head about this turn of events is 8th District candidate Randy Graf, who helped organize the group.