(Photo Credit: The Associated Press)
Democrats went after Republicans for their tough questions of Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards during a congressional hearing Tuesday, with some accusing GOP lawmakers of grilling Richards on her organization’s use of federal funding simply because she is a woman.
Toward the beginning of the hearing, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) questioned Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards over her substantial annual salary (she gets more than $500,000 a year) at the federally-subsidized, non-profit organization. He also brought up questions over the millions of dollars the organization has spent in exorbitant travel and lavish fundraising parties complete with chocolate fountains.
Apparently, pro-abortion lawmakers in the room thought Richards needed some backup, spinning the so-called “War on Women’s Health” into a gendered “War on Richards” narrative.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D -N.Y.) brushed aside Chaffetz’s concerns – along with hours of undercover footage showing Planned Parenthood officials sifting through dismembered body parts from aborted babies while haggling over the price of various organs – and instead focused on Chaffetz’s supposed show of male dominance for daring to question Richards’ use of taxpayer dollars.
“I first would like to register my opposition and my objection to the chairman beating up on a woman, on our witness today, for making a good salary. In the entire time I’ve been in Congress, I’ve never seen a witness beaten up and questioned about their salary,” Maloney accused.
“I find it totally inappropriate and discriminatory,” she added.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) also accused his colleagues on the other side of the aisle of “misogyny” and discrimination against women.
“I hope every American woman is watching today’s hearing. Because just the visuals, as well as the audio, tell you a lot. My colleagues like to say, ‘There’s no war on women.’ Look at how you’ve been treated as a witness,” he said to Richards. “Intimidation. Talking over. Interrupting. Cutting off sentences. Criticizing you because of your salary. How dare you! Who do you think you are, making a professional salary as the head of a premiere national organization and daring to actually make decisions as the head of that organization.”
“The disrespect, the misogyny rampant here today, tells us what is really going on here,” Connolly alleged.