David Daleiden from The Center for Medical Progress and Sandra Merritt were both indicted for a felony for tampering with a governmental record.
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Some top state leaders – Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton among them -promised to press forward with civil investigations of Planned Parenthood. CBS This Morning also aired a full segment on the news. “Planned Parenthood’s trafficking of baby body parts is antithetical to our belief in human dignity”, Brownback told the Kansas Legislature.
The videos released last summer purported to show Planned Parenthood officials trying to negotiate prices for aborted fetal tissue. The grand jury’s findings were not what those lawmakers were expecting. “But the panel, instead, cleared Planned Parenthood and indicted the activists”.
“If we’re being frank”, he added, “that is not a grand jury that is looking to bring the hammer down because you’ve done some grave, grave thing”.
Shortly after that statement from the Thomas Moore Society, the Weekly received another revealing its attorneys representing Daleiden planned to file a motion to allow him to provide the U.S. Supreme Court with evidence in support of the Texas abortion regulations case (Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole).
Klasing said he did not know when that will happen.
The Center for Medical Progress, an anti-abortion group, released secretly videotaped recordings of Planned Parenthood executives claiming to show they were involved in the illegal sale of fetal tissue.
“In 2013, another Anderson-controlled grand jury failed to indict Houston abortionist Douglas Karpen, who was accused by three of his former employees of murdering babies born alive during shoddy late-term abortions by twisting their heads or slashing their throats”.
Daleiden and Merritt were indicted on felony charges of showing the Planned Parenthood clinic fake California driver’s licenses while pretending to be from a research company called BioMax.
Planned Parenthood officials have insisted the videos were manipulated through selective editing. How do you feel about the Planned Parenthood videos?
RIKKI KLIEMAN, CBS NEWS LEGAL ANALYST: Good morning.
Officials in Kansas, Florida, Ohio, Washington, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri and South Dakota concluded investigations into claims Planned Parenthood profited from fetal tissue donation.
“The grand jury process is unpredictable”, he said.
KLIEMAN: Well, the grand jury does exactly the opposite of what was expected. They’re in a amusing spot: One arm of the state – the criminal justice system – is after the same outfit whose work prompted the other arm of the state – the politicians and regulators in Austin – to investigate. Rick Perry originally appointed this district attorney.
David Daleiden, victim of Texas’ GOP leadership.
“As the dust settles”, he said, “and the truth comes out, it’s become totally clear that the only people who engaged in wrongdoing are the criminals behind this fraud, and we’re glad they’re being held accountable”. A Houston grand jury investigating undercover footage at the Houston clinic found no wrongdoing by the abortion provider. Why did they indict these two individuals who had made these videos? “This is just nearly too odd for me to even think about”.
And the rhetoric of the video campaign was referenced by Robert Dear, the man accused of a massacre at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs a year ago. Another worker was indicted on a charge of record tampering.
ROSE: But is there an exception for journalists? Anderson says reporters, whether professional or amateur, simply can’t break laws, no matter how important the scoop.
“These are techniques that investigative journalists have used for years”, Woodfill said.
GAYLE KING: All right.
Are these an odd turn of events?
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KLEIMAN: No. But they certainly have gone in with hidden cameras.
