Washington, D.C. -Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to the Center for Medical Progress requesting information about whether the group broke federal or state laws during its multi-year effort to establish a fake company, solicit charitable donations as a 501(c)(3) organization, and secretly record videos of Planned Parenthood employees without their consent.
Cummings also expressed concern about reports that some Members of Congress may have known about the Center for Medical Progress’s activities before they became public, but raised no concerns about their legality.
“These disturbing actions raise questions about whether the Center for Medical Progress has broken federal or state laws and whether some Members of Congress may have been aware of these potentially illegal activities before they were made public earlier this year," Cummings wrote.
Cummings’ letter follows letters sent last week to Planned Parenthood and the Department of Health and Human Services by Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz and Rep. Jim Jordan based on highly edited and misleading videos released by the Center for Medical Progress earlier this year.
In his letter today, Cummings made clear that if the Committee is going to undertake an investigation of Planned Parenthood, it must also review the actions of the Center for Medical Progress.
“Any legitimate and balanced congressional investigation must also address your group’s role in these activities," Cummings wrote. “If the Committee decides to hold a hearing on this issue, testimony from you or others associated with your organization could be needed to obtain a complete understanding of these actions."
