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Exclusive: Constitutional Crisis Erupts Over Planned Parenthood Investigation

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Casey Harper Contributor
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A constitutional crisis is in full swing over the congressional investigation that was sparked by a series of videos appearing to show Planned Parenthood officials discussing selling fetal tissue.

The committee investigating Planned Parenthood has subpoenaed the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), the group that made the videos, for the videos of Planned Parenthood officials and another set of undercover videos taken by the group at a National Abortion Federation (NAF) event.

The problem is, a judge has issued a temporary court order forbidding CMP from releasing the videos of the NAF event.

So David Daleiden, the CMP member who filmed the videos, says he is caught between obeying the court order and obeying Congress.

“The National Abortion Federation has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep David Daleiden’s footage of its annual meetings out of the hands of law enforcement and the Congress,” Peter Breen, an attorney with the Thomas More Society which represents CMP, told The Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement.

The Thomas More Society said Judge William Orrick gave NAF until noon Monday to give good reason why these videos should be kept from Congress. TheDCNF has obtained an exclusive copy of that response.

“There is no serious question that his anticipated disclosure of NAF Confidential Information is barred by this Court’s Orders,” the letter reads. “The Court’s TRO expressly prohibits Daleiden and his cohorts from disclosing NAF Confidential Information to “any third party.”

According to the document, NAF argues that a federal court order trumps a congressional subpoena.

“It is vitally important that the Court continue to maintain control over these Defendants and ensure the information that they stole from NAF is not spread far and wide in their ongoing, brutally dishonest smear campaign against providers of abortion care,” the letter reads.

No word yet on the judge’s decision. The Thomas More Society said CMP have until Wednesday to respond to the subpoena. They have said they will submit the videos to Congress unless the judge says otherwise.

Read the full response here:

NAF Response letter.

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