Well the Republicans are busted when it comes to Planned Parenthood. So is David Daleiden, the guy who created the videos that created such an uproar. In this case for real, since he has been indicted. His organization the Center for Medical Progress has some splainin to do as they say as well.
Lt Gov. Requests Criminal Investigation
The Republican lieutenant governor Dan Patrick of Texas asked the attorney general to open up a criminal investigation of Planned Parenthood. What an interesting twist when the grand jury found Planned Parenthood had done nothing wrong but instead indicted the accusers. Reuters says that this is partly due to an aggressive legal strategy by Planned Parenthood.
Accusers Indicted Instead
David Daleiden and his cohort Sandra Merritt made a video when they went into Planned Parenthood and spoke to some of the people there. They accused Planned Parenthood of the illegal purchase and sale of human organs. However, the grand jury cleared Planned Parenthood and indicted Daleiden of the same thing he accused Planned Parenthood of. They also indicted Daleiden and Merritt of using fake driver’s licenses.
Daleiden is accused of breaking the law about purchase and sale of human organs, not because he actually did it, but because he talked about it and tried to purchase organs from Planned Parenthood. The way the law is written, this is illegal as well.
Cooperative but Aggressive Legal Strategy
Planned Parenthood’s local lawyer, Josh Schaffer, cooperated fully from the start, providing everything asked for and more and giving the prosecutors tours of the facility that had been accused of wrong doing.
Daleiden should be busted for libel and distorting the truth as well. According to Planned Parenthood, they commissioned an outside independent study that found that the videos Daleiden’s Center for Medical Progress were deceptively edited to distort the truth.
Daleiden is striking out all over. Planned Parenthood has been cleared of doing anything wrong or illegal in 12 states.
Schaffer said he requested Daleiden and Merritt be charged but he didn’t have to be aggressive about it because it was pretty evident what they had done.
He’s Innocent
Of course, that is what Daleiden’s lawyer says. He claims that it is an incorrect reading of Texas law and his client should never have been charged. Daleiden claims he used investigative journalism techniques and that he can’t divulge sources.
It will be interesting to see how things turn out, but for now, Daleiden looks to be busted.