Daleiden explained in a Facebook post that authorities with the California Department of Justice raided his home Tuesday afternoon and seized all video footage of Planned Parenthood employees’ involvement in selling organs from aborted babies – including damning footage which has yet to be released.
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The videos released by the Center for Medical Progress raised allegations that Planned Parenthood is trafficking in aborted fetal body parts. He could not say where the apartment is located.
The search of Daleiden’s apartment was authorized by the state’s attorney general, Kamal Harris, who has been investigating the production of the undercover videos. Did Daleiden fail to surrender said equipment after having it subpoenaed, or did Harris et al simply decide that his videos were the equivalent of the methamphetamine empire of Walter White from Breaking Bad?
The videos prompted an increase in hate speech, harassment and violence targeting abortion providers, according to the National Abortion Federation’s review of 2015.
‘David Daleiden’s lies are catching up with him, ‘ Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Erica Sackin told the Washington Post.
“We will pursue all remedies to vindicate our First Amendment rights”, he added. After the release of the videos surreptitiously filmed by activists with the Center for Medical Progress, however, the group documented 94 “direct threats of harm” against abortion providers previous year – including someone who, in a voicemail to one member, said he wanted to “pull a Columbine and wipe everyone out”.
The videos’ creators face legal charges and numerous lawsuits. Investigations have not found evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Planned Parenthood, and Planned Parenthood has sued the anti-abortion group, saying it illegally obtained the footage.
Kamala Harris is a staunch supporter of Planned Parenthood and received campaign donations from five separate Planned Parenthood affiliates during the last election cycle.
The series of secretly-recorded and heavily edited videos attempted to show that Planned Parenthood was profiting from the sale of fetal tissue, which is illegal.
The non-profit has collected the data for about 40 years: abortion providers self-report incidents, the group monitors media reports, federal law enforcement officials send reports of serious incidents, and NAF seeks out federal data for lower-level crimes, Saporta said.
Saporta said the videos have led to a spike in threats and violence against abortion clinics. They won’t get much help from the federal government; there are two active, Republican-controlled Congressional subcommittees “investigating” Planned Parenthood and related institutions.
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In January, a Harris County grand jury indicted Mr. Daleiden and another pro-life investigator, Sandra Merritt, for using fake driver’s licenses as part of their investigation.
