On Tuesday, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards appeared before the House Oversight Committee. The committee is investigating Planned Parenthood in connection with a series of sting videos that allege the group illegally sold fetal body parts. (That allegation is not supported by the videos or other factual evidence.)
The hearing today started with a tearful speech by Chairman Jason Chaffetz, in which he appeared to blame his mother’s death on Planned Parenthood. Chaffetz argued that federal money granted to Planned Parenthood should be spent on cancer research instead.
But, even among Planned Parenthood’s fiercest critics, the hearing was not received well. Pro-life conservatives blasted the spectacle on Twitter. The editors of several prominent anti-abortion publications said the questioners were unprepared, incompetent and embarrassing.
Townhall editor and Fox News pundit Guy Benson:
Reading poor reviews of GOP panelists' questions in Planned Parenthood hearing. Ill-prepared & uncoordinated. Inexcusable.
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) September 29, 2015
Federalist co-founder Sean Davis:
Can you imagine if this band of incompetent morons had been in charge of prosecuting the Nuremberg trials? My goodness what a farce.
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) September 29, 2015
American Spectator digital editor Emily Zanotti:
Say what you want, this GOP freak show of a Planned Parenthood hearing is embarrassing. Can we have actual experts testify, please?
— Emily Zanotti (@emzanotti) September 29, 2015
If Zanotti is looking for a detailed investigation of the controversy, one was produced yesterday by the Attorney General of Missouri. After reviewing 3,500 pages of documentation and conducting in person interviews, the attorney general found “no evidence that [Planned Parenthood] has engaged in unlawful disposal of fetal organs or tissue.”