House GOP Demands Probe of Obama Admin Report Saying Pro-Lifers Extremists
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 7, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — House Republicans have used a rare Congressional procedure to force a potential probe of documents the Obama administration released calling pro-life people "right-wing extremists." The move forces a Congressional panel to vote on a resolution calling for an investigation.
The Obama administration is under fire for two different documents that have placed the majority of Americans who are pro-life in a bad light.
The first, a security document sent to police and sheriffs’ offices nationwide, including people "who oppose abortion" in a list of groups and people who may be likely to engage in terrorism.
The second document, known as the "Domestic Extremism Lexicon," calls pro-life advocates violent and claims they employ racist overtones in engaging in criminal actions.
Upset with the documents, Republican members of the House Homeland Security Committee, along with pro-life Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia and pro-life Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, have filed a resolution demanding that Congress ask Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to detail how and why the report was compiled.
According to a Washington Times report, House Republicans filed a request under a special "resolution of inquiry" clause of the House rules that forces the committee to vote on the resolution within 14 days.
Rep. Peter T. King of New York, the top Republican on the committee, told the Times, "We have made repeated requests that the committee hold a bipartisan oversight hearing, but unfortunately those requests have been ignored. We are left with no other alternative but to demand answers from the secretary of homeland security herself."
Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat and chairman of the committee, has expressed concerns about the first DHS report, but has not agreed to hold a hearing investigating it.
The Times cited a letter from Thompson to King in which he says he is waiting for the Obama administration to answer his questions about the report before proceeding.
"I have spoken with the secretary, and I am awaiting a written response to my questions. Once I have a response, I will assess how best to proceed," he said.
In an interview following the release of the first report, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano defended including pro-life advocates and saying "opponents of abortion" are likely to engage in extremism or terrorism.
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