Gov. Brownback
Wednesday, 49 of 107 charges against Planned Parenthood were regrettably withdrawn because the prosecution was hamstrung by evidence destruction– not only by the department of health (KDHE) but also by the office of former Attorney General Steve Six!
Shortly afterwards, current AG Derek Schmidt released news that he had secured an independent investigation into evidence allegedly shredded under Six. The Topeka Capital Journal reported: “The KDHE deferred all comments on the case to
Gov. Sam Brownback’s office, which described Wednesday’s revelations into the case as “deeply concerning” and supported Schmidt’s decision to appoint an independent investigator.”
AG Schmidt asked the Shawnee County (Topeka) Sheriff’s Office to conduct an investigation into the destruction of documents, especially Induced Termination of Pregnancy report copies (read more here).
Sheriff Dick Barta said, “Schmidt wanted to have Shawnee County investigate the case because the documents allegedly were destroyed by offices housed in Topeka, and because of the conflicts of interest Schmidt’s office has with the case. Those conflicts include the fact that Schmidt’s office, under his predecessor, is accused of destroying the documents and because the state’s investigative arm, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, is a division of the attorney general’s office,” reported the Topeka Capital Journal.
Shawnee District Attorney Chad Taylor will handle the filing and prosecuting of any charges, but the Topeka Capital-Journal reported they received an email from former Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline that said Taylor should recuse himself from the case as well.
From the TCJ: “(Taylor’s) comments regarding the abortion clinic investigation during his campaign for office were false and reckless,” Kline, a Republican who opposes abortion, wrote. “He has demonstrated a clear bias and clear support for Sebelius, former General Six and Planned Parenthood… This is just further evidence of those tied to former Governor Sebelius destroying evidence implicating a political benefactor of Sebelius,” he wrote.
KFL Executive Director Mary Kay Culp weighed in to the Associated Press that the “attorney general who needs to be thoroughly investigated, [is] Stephen Six, and thank goodness he’s not sitting on the federal bench.”
What appears to be the politically motivated destruction of evidence in the prosecution of abortion provider, planned parenthood, is highly disturbing and underscores the need for a renewed commitment to the rule of law in the judicial system. I applaud the independent investigation into this issue.