The hoaxters get hoist by their own petards
by digby
This is pretty amazing:
A grand jury in Houston, tasked with investigating Planned Parenthood’s Houston affiliate following the August release of an undercover video taken inside the clinic, cleared the organization of misconduct Monday, and instead indicted the group behind the video.
David Daleiden, president of the undercover anti-abortion group The Center for Medical Progress, and Sandra Merritt, who was named as the founder and CEO of BioMax, the sham tissue procurement company created by the Center, were indicted for “tampering with a governmental record,” a second degree felony. Daleiden was handed an additional indictment for “prohibition of the purchase and sale of human organs,” a Class A misdemeanor.
According to a statement from Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson, the grand jury reviewed “allegations of misconduct” by Planned Parenthood’s Houston affiliate for more than two months.
“We were called upon to investigate allegations of criminal conduct by Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast,” Anderson said. “As I stated at the outset of this investigation, we must go where the evidence leads us. All the evidence uncovered in the course of this investigation was presented to the grand jury. I respect their decision on this difficult case.”
I don't know what "tampering with a governmental record" means or if they are being prosecuted for something that would otherwise be called muckraking. But if they are being called to answer for their entrapment and fraud then more power to the Grand Jury for holding them accountable. It's one thing to go undercover to reveal facts that tell a true story. It another to go undercover and then selectively edit your footage to make up a story. That's what happened here and it was despicable.
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