Rss@dailykos.com (mark Sumner) · Thursday, June 09, 2016, 5:08 pm
It’s amazing how many times the “party of life” has claimed that title by putting lives in danger. In this case, “leaking” may not be the right word. Leaking implies that the information was slipped out to only a few people. What Republicans are doing is more like spewing.
… Democrats are calling out Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) for her “reckless disregard” for the privacy and safety of those medical professionals — following the public, unredacted release of the some of their names. …
Last week, Blackburn sent two public letters to the Obama administration that contained the unredacted names and contact information of researchers at the biomedical company StemExpress, university and hospital researchers, and Planned Parenthood staffers. The unredacted letters were also posted on the select panel's website. In an interview with Rewire, a representative for Blackburn said that the release was staff error.
Blackburn’s leak—sorry LEAK—included the name of a doctor who had already been threatened by anti-abortion groups and details about when and where that doctor was supposed to appear to give testimony. She sent the letters and then, just in case you missed it, the letters were also posted on the committee site. Democrats likened it to “painting a target on the back of scientists and researchers.” But really, it was more like staking them out and sounding a horn.
This isn’t the first time this committee has proven to be somewhat less than secure.
“This Panel has shown a reckless disregard for protecting private information and now a troubling possibility has come to light,” Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky said in a press statement. “Inexplicably, anti-abortion activists have learned of confidential information provided to the Panel — raising the specter that the Republicans may be funneling confidential information back to those individuals and groups.”
Despite having the security of a screen door the committee is going ahead with a new flurry of subpoenas, pulling in long lists of workers associated with Planned Parenthood even when they have no relation to any issue under investigation.
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