Harris's Justice Department raided Daleiden's home in 2016 and seized undercover video footage of Planned Parenthood. Daleiden and the Center for Medical Progress face charges for violating California state eavesdropping laws. Lawyers defending the CMP argue that this is an unprecedented violation of the first amendment freedom of the press.
While Deputy Attorney General Johnetter Jauron was being questioned in the Superior Court of San Francisco, she told Judge Christopher Hite that she had "provided NAF [the National Abortion Federation] with everything that I provided Defendant [Daleiden]." Daleiden's attorneys argue that this statement implied that Jauron gave CMP footage to the NAF along with other materials that were taken from Daleiden's apartment.
Jauron later denied the accusations, stating "I have not provided any materials seized pursuant to search warrant in this case to any unauthorized recipient." New billing records from NAF's civil attorneys call this statement into question, however.
Records filed in August show that attorney Alexandra Laks billed the NAF $262.50 for "coordinate review of new videos." The bill is marked for April 6, 2016—the day after Harris's office had Daleiden's apartment raided.
"No discovery was provided by Mr. Daleiden’s attorneys in civil cases filed by PP and NAF at that time," said attorney Brent Ferreira in a statement to Fox News. "The reference to new videos can only relate to the videos seized pursuant to the search warrant."
He added that "this case is the most egregious abuse of prosecutorial power that I have ever seen and I was a trial and appellate lawyer in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for [30] years."
Pro-abortion groups reportedly gave Harris tens of thousands of dollars to benefit her campaigns. Neither she nor any Attorney General after her have pressed charges against Planned Parenthood after CMP videos went public.
