Federal Judge Refuses to Block Release of PP Videos to Congress
(CNSNews.com) – A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Center for Medical Progress [1] (CMP) can respond to a congressional subpoena and release all of the undercover video footage it collected during its 30-month undercover investigation of Planned Parenthood without exception.
On Monday, the National Abortion Federation [2] (NAF) asked U.S. District Judge William Orrick to permanently block CMP from turning over video footage recorded at NAF’s annual meetings in 2014 and 2015.
But Orrick, who had previously issued a temporary restraining order blocking release of the videos, ruled [3] that "Congress has the power to investigate... and it is not the Court's role to determine the legitimacy of the Congressional investigation by looking to the Committee's motives."
On September 15, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee subpoenaed [4] CMP “for all unedited video footage in their possession relating to the acquisition, preparation, and sale of fetal tissue.”
“This subpoena is a demand for transparency,” committee chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) said. “The action of the court will not thwart or impede Congress’ Constitutional duty and right to conduct effective oversight.”
But NAF filed a lawsuit [5] in California, asking the court to block CMP founder David Daleiden from releasing the videos – including “the names and addresses of any NAF members learned at any NAF annual meetings´- to “any third party,” including Congress.
In a Sept. 22 letter [6]to Chaffetz, Thomas More Center attorney Peter Breen, who is representing Daleiden, said that he “intends to comply with the committee’s subpoena to the fullest extent possible, in support of its vital investigation into the trafficking of aborted baby parts and other related crimes.”
“The disclosure of information to a Congressional committee is not ‘public disclosure,’” Daleiden’s attorneys noted in an Oct. 2 letter [7] to Orrick.
"There is no plausible argument that Congress is acting outside of its legitimate legislative sphere. Thus unless this Court instructs otherwise, Mr. Daleiden intends to provide material responsive to the subpoena on Wednesday, October 7.”
However, the pro-abortion group argued in an Oct. 5 lette [8]r to the judge that releasing the video footage would violate “fundamental principles of separation of powers.” NAF also argued that “because there has been no authorization from the full House to enforce the subpoena, the Subcommittee has no legal authority to enforce it.”
"It is vitally important that the Court continue to maintain control over these Defendants and ensure the information that they stole from NAF is not spread far and wide in their ongoing, brutally dishonest smear campaign against providers of abortion care," the letter stated.
But Breen pointed out that “Chairman Jason Chaffetz has issued a valid and proper subpoena for this footage…There is no legal justification to refuse the subpoena, and we hope to turn over the footage to Congress this Wednesday."
Source URL:
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/barbara-hollingsworth/abortion-group-asks-federal-judge-block-release-pp-videos-0 
