The Epoch Times has obtained exclusive video of the firebombing of the pregnancy resource center that was attacked last June by suspected pro-abortion militants in Buffalo, New York.
The video has been at the center of a controversy between CompassCare, the Christian pregnancy center, and the police who refused to return the video to the clinic.
The video was returned under an agreement between the clinic and the Town of Amherst.
Pro-life Group Rejects Demands By Police
According to CompassCare, the town initially wanted the crisis pregnancy center to agree to a provision that the video couldn’t be released for two years; an indemnity from CompassCare for the damages that might arise to the pro-life organization by the Amhurst Police Department’s failure to investigate; and the ability to sue CompassCare over any violations of confidentiality provisions of the settlement.“As the victim of the crime, CompassCare refused all settlement terms, not willing to be re-victimized by a lawsuit from law enforcement for exercising our First Amendment right to freedom of speech,” CompassCare CEO Rev. James Harding told The Epoch Times about the resolution of the lawsuit.
“After rejecting all settlement terms restricting CompassCare or adding liability to CompassCare, we suggested the judge order a determination. At that point, the Amherst P.D. removed all restrictions on settlement terms, releasing a copy to CompassCare on Thursday April 6, 305 days after the firebombing,” added Harden.
Town Attorney’s Remarks
In a September 2022, interview with The Epoch Times, Sliwa appeared to suggest that publicity of the police investigation would stoke political violence from the right.“The police department is trying to keep a lid on that and trying to keep the investigation as quiet as possible in order to ensure that these people don’t go further underground, as they may already be,” he added.
When asked about which people with AK-47s were engaging in violence over political views he was referring to, the city attorney said it was “people that are part and parcel of the revolt against the United States government” on Jan. 6, 2021.
For their part, CompassCare claims that both the Amherst police and the FBI have dragged their feet, pointing to politically-tinged comments like those by Sliwa as proof.
They have also said the FBI “inserted itself” into investigations regarding attacks on crisis pregnancy centers to hinder the investigations.
Rubio Decries Targeting of Christians
Sen. Marco Rubio, (R-Fla.) went even further, telling The Epoch Times, that President Joe Biden’s administration has “targeted” Christians.“Instead of prosecuting criminals that vandalized churches and assaulted members of the clergy, the Biden Administration is spying on Catholic churches and targeting pro-life advocates,” Rubio said.
“This is the weaponization of government they claim to fear but now use against their political enemies. And no one in the old legacy media cares,” he added.
Other prominent conservative and Christian leaders are becoming more alarmed by what they describe as the “one-sided approach” that the Biden administration has used in investigating domestic, politically-motivated violence.
“It is shameful that the investigation into the bombing of the Buffalo pregnancy care center has stalled and law enforcement seems uninterested in finding the violent perpetrators. Federal and local law enforcement agents there should be embarrassed that they have not made an arrest when Jane’s Revenge claimed credit for the horrific attack,” said Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America (CWA), a conservative advocacy group, told The Epoch Times.
Attacks
Harden claims that there have been 300 attacks on pro-life groups, while Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), author of a bill to protect crisis pregnancy centers, said that there have been about 100 attacks, including attacks on churches.“Justice does not seem to be blind when it comes to law enforcement’s response to attacks on conservatives and Christians and you have to wonder what is driving this one-sided approach to the law,” concluded CWA’s Nance.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the White House, DOJ, and FBI for comment.