Kathy Castor: “Again, the repeated references to these false videos do a real disservice to this Congress and to people all across…”

“Again, the repeated references to these false videos do a real disservice to this Congress and to people all across America. The false claims against Planned Parenthood have been widely discredited. The videos that so many have referenced are heavily edited. They have edited content out, and they have edited false images in. Politicians who are latching onto this smear campaign do so to further their personal agendas to the detriment of women's health care across America. What has happened here since these videos were released in July is a coordinated smear campaign against trusted Planned Parenthood clinics. Let me give you some evidence directly from my home State of Florida. {time} 1115 In July, with absolutely no evidence of wrongdoing, Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott ordered investigations of Planned Parenthood clinics. It had all the trappings of a witch hunt. In August, after the Agency for Health Care Administration had determined and written a draft press release that said: ``However, there is no evidence of the mishandling of fetal remains at any of the 16 clinics we investigated across the State.'' That didn't fit Governor Scott's political narrative, so his office scrubbed the press release of that language. I submit for the Record a copy of the press release that was drafted by the Agency for Health Care Administration for Florida before Governor Scott's office scrubbed the language on the finding.…”