Indictment Comes From Grand Jury Convened By District Attorney Appointed By Rick Perry
David Daleiden is insisting he follows the law after a Texas grand jury on Monday indicted him and his co-worker, Sandra Merritt, each on a felony charge related to the fraudulently edited videos they created. Daleiden is the founder and president of the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-choice 501(c)(3) federal nonprofit group created to take down Planned Parenthood. Merritt was positioned as the head of a fake biomedical research company set up to attempt to buy fetal tissue from the women’s health care provider.
“The Center for Medical Progress uses the same undercover techniques that investigative journalists have used for decades in exercising our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and of the press, and follows all applicable laws,” Daleiden claimed in a statement posted to CMP’s website.Â
“We respect the processes of the Harris County District Attorney, and note that buying fetal tissue requires a seller as well. Planned Parenthood still cannot deny the admissions from their leadership about fetal organ sales captured on video for all the world to see.”
The same statement was posted to the group’s Facebook page, but with their standard hashtag, “#‎PPSellsBabyParts” added.
The videos Daleiden created were highly and deceptively edited, and he has admitted the footage does not match the voice over descriptions. Both CMP employees were  indicted on a felony charge of tampering with a governmental record.
The grand jury was convened by Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson, a veteran prosecutor who was appointed by then-governor Rick Perry, to succeed her late husband. She won election in November. It was charged with investigating Planned Parenthood but found no evidence of wrongdoing, except by Daleiden and Merritt, the makers of the “sting” videos.
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Image by American Life League via Flickr and a CC license
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