Lila Rose BFF Raymond Ruddy Has Ties to Mitt Romney
LatestWhen I spent the day with Lila Rose a few months ago, she and her communications director, Kate Bryan, vaguely alluded to an “upcoming project” in the same tone as one might discuss an impending bake sale. “We’re always working on something,” Lila said sweetly when I pressed her for more details.
Now, we know what that “something” probably is: a sting targeting four women’s advocacy groups. Planned Parenthood believes that a Live Action actor posed as the owner of a Malibu, CA abortion clinic and set up meetings with Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America, EMILY’s List and Priorities USA during the first week of October. The woman, alleged Live Action operative Wendy Wilmowski (that’s her photo below, care of Planned Parenthood; apparently she works in real estate when she’s not lying about being a medical provider), said she would consider making “substantial” donations if the organizations answered some of her questions. But when most of those questions turned out to be about politics, not women’s health — for example, she asked whether the groups thought Obama would repeal the Hyde amendment, which bans the use of federal funds to pay for abortions, and wanted to know all about the groups’ relationship to the Obama campaign — the organizations knew something was up and alerted California Attorney General Kamala Harris.
When I emailed Bryan this morning to see if Live Action would take responsibility for Planned Parenthood’s allegations, she sent me this statement from Rose in response:
“Live Action’s work exposes these violent practices which kill the most defenseless among us, hurt women and girls and undermine human dignity. If Planned Parenthood was suspicious of Live Action as they claim and stand by everything they say, the group should have filmed the encounters themselves and release it publicly. The sad truth is, the abortion leader repeatedly reveals their radical abortion-first ideology and practices in Live Action investigations.”
Very tactful. But based on her past statements regarding previous stings, like the group’s recent sex-selective abortion project last spring, that almost certainly means Live Action will release a heavily-edited “OBAMA IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH WOMEN’S ABORTION GROUPS” video before November 6th. In the meantime, why don’t we consider another, legitimate political connection: the one between major Live Action donor Raymond Ruddy and Mitt “I’ll say anything about abortion that you want me to say!” Romney.