Republicans are rushing to defend “pro-life” activist Mark Houck who was arrested for allegedly assaulting a72-year-old man outside the Planned Parenthood Elizabeth Blackwell Health Center in Philadelphia on Oct. 13, 2021, notes The Independent:
Houck was charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrance Act, a 30-year-old law that makes it a federal crime to use force with intent to injure, intimidate or interfere with reproductive healthcare services.
If convicted, he faces up to 11 years in prison and a maximum fine of $350,000.
The charges stem from two separate incidents involving a longtime volunteer clinic escort identified in the indictment as B.L., who was escorting two patients from the clinic when Mr Houck allegedly “verbally confronted” B.L. and “forcefully shoved” him to the ground.
Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow failed to mention the alleged assault, and tried to pretend that President Joe Biden and the FBI are punishing pro-life advocates.
It’s as if the Biden FBI is punishing pro-lifers for the overturning of Roe. But we’re not standing aside.
— Jay Sekulow (@JaySekulow) September 27, 2022
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) claimed on Fox News it was “overreach” to arrest Hauck, but failed to mention the alleged assault by Hauck, reports Rolling Stone:
You’ve got a Catholic father of seven who formed a group designed to encourage young men to be faithful to their commitments, arrested in front of his seven children just recently. You’ve got all these instances of overreach. It’s deeply concerning to us all. These are all things we’re gonna be looking into.
Doug Mastriano, the Republican candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, also blamed Biden and the FBI, but failed to mention the alleged assault, notes the Bucks County Courier News:
The continued weaponization of the FBI and persecution by Joe Biden’s DOJ against ordinary Americans is an outrage… This show of force carried out by the Biden regime against ordinary Americans is an abuse of power that stands against the fundamental principles on which our country was founded.
Dayle Steinberg, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Houck had terrorized patients outside the clinic for years with verbal assaults, intimidation tactics, and threats of violence:
Mr. Houck, who often carries a large knife on his belt, poses a threat to the safety of those seeking entrance to our facilities. Violence and obstruction of clinic entrances is unacceptable and illegal. It’s good to see justice served.
(Sources: Twitter, The Independent, Bucks County Courier News via Yahoo News, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Rolling Stone)