Last month, a Texas grand jury that was looking into whether Planned Parenthood had sold fetal tissue not only decided not to indict Planned Parenthood, but indicted the creepy fraudulent filmmakers who’d trumped up the whole fetal tissue sales thing to begin with. Republican presidential candidates were very sad about this, because “Planned Parenthood didn’t illegally sell fetal tissue but David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt did use false government IDs, which is illegal” is apparently a very difficult concept. Now, Ted Cruz is going a step beyond sadness. He’s effectively endorsing lawlessness in the pursuit of Planned Parenthood:
An audience member asked the Texas senator if he would pardon Daleiden if his case became a federal one.
"The answer is yes," Cruz responded.
“I was deeply dismayed and disappointed to see the Harris County district attorney bringing criminal charges against someone who went undercover to expose what appears to be criminal conduct by Planned Parenthood," Cruz continued. "I think he performed an incredible public service."
“Someone who went undercover” using illegal means “to expose what appears to be criminal conduct” if you heavily edit videos and then watch them with an anti-Planned Parenthood agenda, but is not in fact criminal conduct at all. As the very same grand jury that indicted Daleiden concluded. As investigation after investigation has failed to find, despite frantic Republican efforts to find something to pin on Planned Parenthood.
But Ted Cruz would basically say it’s open season and anyone who wanted to try to bring down Planned Parenthood had a pass to break the law in doing so.