DOJ to review Planned Parenthood videos

Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Wednesday her department is going to review all information surrounding the controversial videos of Planned Parenthood officials recorded by an anti-abortion group.

{mosads}“I’m aware of those matters generally from the media, and from some inquiries that have been made to the Department of Justice [DOJ], and again at this point we’re going to review all the information and determine what steps, if any, to take at the appropriate time,” Lynch said when asked about the videos at a press conference.

Republican members of Congress have been calling on the DOJ to investigate whether Planned Parenthood violated any laws after the first video, showing an official from the group discussing fetal tissue, surfaced.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and 10 other Republican senators sent a letter to the DOJ on Wednesday requesting an investigation. They say that Planned Parenthood could have violated laws that ban profiting off the sale of fetal organs. 

Planned Parenthood says it follows the law and strongly denies those claims. 

The letter also states that the group could have violated a law that bans altering the abortion procedure in order to obtain fetal tissue. 

Two GOP-led committees, both in the House, launched investigations into the organization.

A video released last week featured a top medical doctor from Planned Parenthood candidly discussing the process of preserving fetal organs such as livers, lungs and “intact” hearts for research.

A second video, released Tuesday, shows Dr. Mary Gatter, a Planned Parenthood official, apparently negotiating the price of selling fetal tissue for medical research.

The Center for Medical Progress, which produced the videos, claims that it shows Planned Parenthood illegally profiting off the sale of fetal organs.

Planned Parenthood has fired back that the videos are heavily edited and that the officials in the videos are looking for compensation for expenses, not profit.

Democrats on Wednesday called on the Justice Department to investigate whether the group that recorded the videos had violated any laws.