Make no mistake about it, we are seeing tactics used by communist countries to shut down views that are contrary to those in positions of power in our government.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – An anti-abortion activist who made undercover videos at Planned Parenthood clinics said in a social media posting that California Department of Justice agents raided his homeTuesday.
Agents seized all video footage from his apartment, along with his personal information, David Daleiden said in a Facebook post. Daleiden, the founder of a group called the Center for Medical Progress, said agents left behind documents that he contends implicate Planned Parenthood in illegal behavior related to the handling of fetal tissue.
Center for Medical Progress spokesman Peter Robbio confirmed the social media posting is authentic, but he declined further comment. He said Daleiden lives in Orange County.
Rachele Huennekens, a spokeswoman for state Attorney General Kamala Harris, said in an email that she can’t comment on any ongoing investigation.
Harris said in July that she planned to review the undercover videos to see if center violated any state charity registration or reporting requirements. She said that could include whether Daleiden and a colleague impersonated representatives of a fake biomedical company or filmed the videos without Planned Parenthood’s consent.
Harris, a Democrat, is running for the U.S. Senate. Daleiden suggested in the social media posting that the raid was politically motivated because Harris has accepted campaign contributions from Planned Parenthood.
Ms. Harris’s support for Planned Parenthood is no secret: On Wednesday, she criticized an amendment to the federal highway bill submitted by Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, to defund Planned Parenthood, which receives roughly $500 million annually in federal grants and reimbursements.
“The notion that some in DC want to hold CA highway funding hostage in order to defund Planned Parenthood is deeply troubling,” said Ms. Harris on Twitter, as cited on the conservative website Twitchy.
In a second email, Ms. Harris said, “@PPFA serves more than 2 mil women a year, providing critical health care like cancer screenings, preventative care and birth control.”
“That this cynical attempt to block women’s access to health care is even being considered is yet another example of DC’s dysfunction,” Ms. Harris concluded. –Washington Times
Her investigation prompted critics on social media to accuse her of “shooting the messenger” rather than attempting to determine whether Planned Parenthood has violated California law.
Daleiden faces related charges in Texas. One of his Texas attorneys, Terry Yates, did not return telephone and email messages Tuesday.
Texas authorities initially began a grand jury investigation of Planned Parenthood after the undercover videos were released in August.
But the grand jury cleared Planned Parenthood of misusing fetal tissue and indicted Daleiden and a colleague, Sandra Merritt, in January on charges including using fake driver’s licenses to get into a Houston clinic.
Daleiden previously said his group followed the law in making the videos. His post Tuesday called the raid an “attack on citizen journalism” and said he will “pursue all remedies to vindicate our First Amendment rights.” Via: Sacramento CBS
