Tuesday, a federal judge issued a ruling that allows the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) to respond to a congressional subpoena and release all its videos on Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry to Congress. The release had been prevented due to a restraining order.
Federal Judge William H. Orrick, who has so far prevented CMP from releasing any video footage the group shot at meetings of the National Abortion Federation (NAF), ruled Tuesday that CMP may honor the subpoena from Congress for any undercover video or documents that Congress requests.
Plaintiff National Abortion Federation (NAF) urges me to interfere with defendant Center for Medical Progress’s (CMP) response to a Congressional subpoena that seeks documents that CMP has indicated are covered by the Temporary Restraining Order entered by this Court. NAF makes no argument that the subpoena itself is infirm.
Congress has the power to investigate, and it is not up to the courts to go beyond the narrow confines of determining that the committee’s inquiry is in its province.
Citing precedent as well as the structure of our constitutional system Orrick writes, “for these reasons I will not interfere with the CMP’s response to the subpoena” despite NAF’s insistence. NAF continued to argue Orrick should prevent the release, claiming it would interfere with the restraining order, among other things.
But in the end, the abortion powerhouse had no power against Congress, who is about to see the secret worth so much court time. So will Orrick and NAF. The judge also writes:
Prior to responding to the Congressional subpoena, defendant CMP shall deliver to counsel for NAF and to the Court a true and correct copy of everything defendant will provide to Congress, including all video footage, documents and communications described in the subpoena. Further CMP shall not provide to Congress any footage, documents or communications that have not been specifically requested by the subpoena.
While there may be a temporary budget in place funding Planned Parenthood, the battle is nowhere near over in Congress, as it continues its hearings and investigations into the abortion giant.
Now Congress will get to see what the NAF has been fighting so diligently to hide from Americans.
