(The Daily Signal) Two agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) visited the childhood home of a pro-life activist and told the woman’s mother that they wanted to speak with her, according to footage obtained by The Daily Signal.
Elise Ketch is a member of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), a group of mostly-left leaning activists who believe that abortion is the murder of a human child. PAAU particularly gained prominence after the group exposed the bodies of five premie sized aborted babies, known as “The Five,” from the clinic of Washington, D.C. abortionist Cesare Santangelo.
The 26-year-old officially joined PAAU in December 2022 after volunteering with the group for a few months.
Her entrance into the pro-life group came as PAAU activists Lauren Handy, Jonathan Darnel, and Herb Geraghty faced charges from the Justice Department of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which “prohibits threats of force, obstruction and property damage intended to interfere with reproductive health care services” (the DOJ has commonly used “obstruction” in charging pro-life activists with blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic).
The incidents that these activists were involved in all took place before they were members of PAAU, the group’s founder, Terrisa Bukovinac, told The Daily Signal. Ketch does not believe that she has ever been involved in any kind of activity that would allow authorities to bring FACE Act charges against her.
Ketch has participated in PAAU’s “Pink Rose Rescues” wherein activists attempt to enter an abortion facility and “quietly hand out pink roses to people in the waiting room” — then leave upon being told that they are trespassing. The roses have information about pregnancy resources, such as the phone number for Let Them Live, Ketch explained.
She also participated in a non-violent demonstration on March 23, 2022, where she and other PAAU members were arrested for blocking the street outside Rayburn House Office Building as they sought to draw attention to “The Five.” It had been a year since their discovery of the baby bodies, and D.C. authorities have thus far stonewalled investigations into the babies’ deaths.
On April 18, around 2:45 p.m., FBI agents went to the home of Tracy Ketch, Elise Ketch’s mother. Ring camera footage provided to The Daily Signal shows two women standing on the front porch of Ketch’s childhood home in Woodbridge, Virginia. The women identified themselves as Ashley Roberts and Kathleen Brown.
“We are both with the FBI,” Roberts told Ketch’s mother. “We just need to speak with her regarding some information that was sent to us.”
When Tracy Ketch informed the agents that Ketch no longer lives at that residence, Roberts asked for Ketch’s residence or phone number.
“She’s not in any trouble,” Roberts assured Tracy Ketch with a smile, the footage shows. “We just have some information we need to ask her about.”
“We would tell you all the information, because like I said she’s not in any trouble, but just out of respect for her, we’d like to speak with her first,” Roberts says, adding with a shrug, “and then, if she feels like talking to you, which I’m sure she will because it’s nothing…”
NEW: FBI agents Ashley Roberts and Kathleen Brown showed up at the childhood home of pro-life activist Elise Ketch. The agents asked to speak with Ketch, who is a member of @PAAUNOW.
Here's the Ring security camera footage, first obtained by @Dailysignal: pic.twitter.com/QoY2HL9ytA
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) May 17, 2023
More Ring camera footage viewed by The Daily Signal shows Ketch’s mother stepping onto the front porch and calling her daughter.
“I have two FBI agents at the front door,” she tells her daughter.
“FBI agents,” Ketch can be heard repeating, as Roberts breaks into a smile. “Mom, don’t tell them anything.”
“Ok, what do you want me to do?” she asks her daughter. As Ketch speaks, her mother waves the agents off the porch and opens the front door, stress written across her face.
The FBI did not immediately respond requests for comment from The Daily Signal for this story….
Read entire article at The Daily Signal.
Editor’s Note: This article was published at the The Daily Signal and is reprinted in part here with permission.
