Emails obtained by the Washington Times show that California Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris’s office collaborated with Planned Parenthood to produce legislation that targets David Daleiden, the lead undercover journalist who exposed the organization’s alleged profiting from the body parts of aborted babies.
The emails, according to the Times, were accessed through a public records request, show conversations between officials of Kamala’s office and Planned Parenthood regarding legislation that criminalizes undercover journalists for publishing and distributing recordings of private communications with abortion providers. Gov. Jerry Brown has until the end of the month to sign or veto the measure.
According to the Times:
The documents are another indication of Ms. Harris‘ close relationship with Planned Parenthood and call into question the impartiality of her ongoing investigation of Mr. Daleiden, legal experts said.
The emails show Beth Parker, chief legal counsel for Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, sending multiple drafts of AB 1671 to Jill Habig, who was at the time special counsel to the attorney general.
“Attached is the language for AB 1671, proposed amendments to Penal Code section 632,” Ms. Parker wrote in an email marked March 8. “I look forward to your thoughts about this.”
Ms. Parker sent a revised draft of the legislation to Ms. Habig on March 16. “Here’s the rewrite of the video tape bill,” she wrote. “Let me know what you think.”
Habig is now deputy manager of Harris’ U.S. Senate campaign. The current campaign website features a petition asking voters to support and protect Planned Parenthood’s federal funding. Additionally, Harris reportedly received $15,000 from Planned Parenthood during her re-election campaign in 2014.
Former Los Angeles district attorney Steve Cooley – who now represents Daleiden – referred to Harris’ level of involvement in the Planned Parenthood legislation to punish undercover journalists as “extraordinary.”
“It is common to work on legislation pending before the California state legislature — the attorney general’s office does occasionally weigh in,” Cooley said, according to the Times. “It is extraordinary to collaborate with a particular entity on what is clearly legislation of specific benefit to them.”
The U.S. Senate race in California features Harris running against fellow Democrat Rep. Loretta Sanchez, due to the state’s “jungle” primary system. The RealClearPolitics polling average has Harris up by about 15 points.
Lila Rose, president and founder of pro-life organization Live Action, calls Harris’ involvement with Planned Parenthood to penalize journalists who expose the abortion giant’s alleged criminal activity “indefensible.” In a statement sent to Breitbart News, Rose said:
Instead of investigating Planned Parenthood for trafficking in baby body parts, Kamala Harris reportedly has been secretly working with Planned Parenthood to write a law to criminalize the very investigative journalism that exposed those horrific injustices. Planned Parenthood is dismembering preborn children through abortion, and its CEO, Cecile Richards, even admitted in a letter to Congress that the corporation had accepted $60 for each child’s organ it had harvested.
“As attorney general, Kamala Harris is supposed to represent the people and uphold the law,” Rose added. “Instead, these emails show Harris is more interested in brazenly attacking the First Amendment and helping Planned Parenthood hide human rights abuses and potentially illegal and abusive activity from public view.”
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