Dems press for subpoena of anti-abortion activist

House Democrats are demanding answers from the anti-abortion group that has targeted Planned Parenthood in what they describe as “a host of potentially illegal activities.”

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee wrote to Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) on Tuesday, pressing him to subpoena the group’s founder, David Daleiden, a move they requested last month. [READ THE LETTER TO CHAFFETZ BELOW.]

“To date, Daleiden has not produced a single page, while Planned Parenthood has produced more than 20,000 pages,” the Democrats wrote in a release.

Little is known about Daleiden, who has mostly stayed out of the public eye after releasing his first viral video in July. He was not invited to testify at any of the three hearings on Planned Parenthood held by three separate congressional committees over the last month, despite the protests of Democrats.

Top Democrats in both chambers have accused Daleiden of using illegal methods to create the videos, which appear to show Planned Parenthood officials negotiating for the price of aborted fetal tissue.

Republicans in Congress and in state legislatures have found no evidence of wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood, which allows women to donate tissue from aborted fetuses at a small fraction of their clinics.

Democrats have long argued that Daleiden should be investigated, instead of Planned Parenthood, for claims that include secretly recording the group without consent, using false documents with government agencies, falsely impersonating a legitimate business concern and soliciting charitable contributions under false pretenses.

“Unlike Planned Parenthood, Mr. Daleiden and his group engaged in a host of potentially illegal activities,” the Democrats, led by ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.), wrote.

Chaffetz has said he did not bring in Daleiden to testify, because he is still awaiting a GOP subpoena of Daleiden’s unedited recordings in meetings with and inside clinics of Planned Parenthood.   

Read letter to Chaffetz