Center for Medical Progress Founder Indicted

Things are looking bad for the Center for Medical Progress, the organization behind an anti-Planned Parenthood smear campaign last year. Earlier this month, Planned Parenthood announced that it had filed a federal lawsuit against the parties behind "an ongoing, widely discredited video smear campaign", including the Center for Medical Progress. Now, the Center for Medical Progress is facing more legal woes.

According to the Associated Press, a Houston, Texas grand jury indicted David Daleiden, founder of the Center for Medical Progress, on a felony charge of tampering with governmental record. Sandra Merritt (alias Susan Tennenbaum), who appeared in the smear campaign videos, was also indicted on a charge of tampering with governmental record. Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson explained that "we must go where the evidence leads us".

The grand jury investigated Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast after Texas Governor Greg Abbott launched a probe into Planned Parenthood's alleged harvesting and sale of fetal tissue, according to Reuters. CNN reports that the grand jury found no indication of wrongdoing on the part of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast.

The anti-abortion community is reacting as well as you'd expect.

This indictment is an affront to rule of law. Instead of prosecuting PP's criminal activities, the grand jury is punishing whistleblowers.

— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) January 26, 2016

“Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—the Lord detests them both.” (Prov. 17:15) https://t.co/n4na0rmm7N

— Matt Smethurst (@MattSmethurst) January 26, 2016

Its a sick day in America when our govnt punishes those who expose evil w/ a cellphone—yet accommodates those who perform it with a scalpel.

— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) January 25, 2016

Is there anything more unseemly than celebrating the daily carnage perpetrated by @PPact? https://t.co/HioDkgrIAB

— Denny Burk (@DennyBurk) January 25, 2016

It's as though the Watergate House Judiciary Committee were to have impeached Woodward & Bernstein instead of Nixon. @PPact

— Russell Moore (@drmoore) January 25, 2016

To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Slate: Grand Jury Investigates Planned Parenthood, Indicts Anti-Abortion Activists Instead

The Atlantic: An Indictment for the Planned Parenthood Sting Videomakers

According to Matthew: Creators of fake Planned Parenthood videos get indicted