Ted Cruz Calls Planned Parenthood A 'Criminal Enterprise,' Says He'd Pardon Sting Video Maker

“The answer is yes,” Cruz responded, in answer to a question about whether he’d pardon Daleiden. (Sandra Merritt, the other person indicted in connected with the videos, went unmentioned, for some reason.)

“Let me flesh it out a little more,” he added. “As a Texan, as a Houstonian, I was deeply dismayed and disappointed to see the Harris County District attorney bringing criminal charges against someone who went undercover to expose what appears to be vast criminal conduct by Planned Parenthood. I think he performed an incredible public service. And I’ll tell ya this: I’ve pledged, if I’m elected president, on the very first day in office, I intend to instruct the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into Planned Parenthood and to prosecute any and all criminal conduct by that organization.”

Kelly asked about Donald Trump’s assertions that Planned Parenthood “does some wonderful things.” Cruz hit that piñata enthusiastically.

“Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortionist,” he said. “Millions of unborn boys and girls have never breathed a breath of air because of Planned Parenthood. It is a multi-million dollar organization. You know what those videos showed? It’s a federal criminal offense, it’s a felony to sell the body parts of unborn children for profit. These videos showed Planned Parenthood by all appearances doing that. It appears Planned Parenthood is a national criminal enterprise committing multiple felonies.”

You can hear Cruz hesitating for a millisecond before he accuses Planned Parenthood of being a criminal enterprise, maybe because he’s a lawyer and knows, theoretically, what those words actually mean.