Gov. Abbott’s M.O. – Raid First, Ask Questions Later
The theatrically public “raids” on several Planned Parenthood clinics around Texas last Thursday, October 22nd, were an escalation in Gov. Greg Abbott’s misguided crusade to shut down the nonprofit healthcare provider that has operated in the state for over 75 years.
They were not only a repeat of a tactic that has worked for him once before, but part of a sordid and shameful nationwide strategy of letting lies, drama, and innuendo stand in for due process when it comes to effective, but politically charged, nonprofit organizations.
In 2010, Abbott’s Office of the Attorney General ordered needlessly hostile raids on two offices of a voter registration project, Houston Votes, being operated by the nonprofit Texans Together. Needlessly hostile because, had a subpoena merely been served, the organization would have immediately turned over records; instead, teams of agents swooped into offices, hauling off boxes of files and computers, intimidating staff members.
Voter registration is a legally permissible activity for nonprofits, but Abbott, acting on “tips” from the highly partisan Tea Party activists, King Street Patriots, went after the organization by assigning one of his least experienced attorneys to question senior staff from Houston Votes. One of those “tips” was the assertion that Houston Votes was worse then ACORN.
Read more: http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/31241/gov-abbotts-m-o-raid-first-ask-questions-later
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