CNN’s Tapper to WH: Maybe You Should Watch the PP Vids

CNN’s “The Lead” host Jake Tapper told White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest “somebody at the White House should maybe watch the videos” during an interview on Planned Parenthood on Monday.

Tapper asked Earnest if he was contending that nothing in the videos “bothers you and anyone in the White House.” Earnest answered, “I’ve got to tell you, these videos are — were released because of their shock value. And there’s no doubt that’s what depicted on these videos is shocking. I know that, based on the news reports that I’ve read about the videos, I haven’t actually looked at them, but people who have looked at them, have raised significant questions about whether or not these videos are credible, about whether or not they’ve been selectively edited in a way to grossly distort the position and the policies of Planned Parenthood.” Tapper jumped in to say, “the whole video is put up on the website of this anti-abortion group that put them out. … You don’t have to watch just the edited version. You can watch the whole version.”

Earnest responded, “I’m relying on news reports that I’ve seen of people who’ve taken a look at this and raised questions about the videos themselves. And there’s no doubt that this is an organization that has targeted Planned Parenthood for some time. So, they clearly have an ideological ax to grind. What we know to be true, is that Planned Parenthood provides regular healthcare for millions of Americans across the country. And Planned Parenthood is not able to use federal funds to perform abortions. That is written into the rules. That is a rule that this administration has not just followed, but actually supported. So, it’s clear there are some ideological games that are being played here, and what this administration and this president has long fought for, is protecting access for women to healthcare, and that’s exactly why we want to make sure that there is not an ideological effort to wholesale defund Planned Parenthood, that provides those important healthcare services to women all across the country.”

Tapper ended the discussion on Planned Parenthood with, “Well, somebody at the White House should maybe watch the videos in full.”

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