U.S. Senator Jon Ernst (R-Iowa) recently obtained communications from the Biden-era Small Business Administration revealing a potential cover-up obscuring $90 million in taxpayer funds gifted to Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion provider and leading supplier of sex-rejection hormones.
According to the pro-life senator, Biden officials at the SBA — allegedly operating under the direction of former top SBA lawyer Peggy Hamilton — used the code word “Benghazi” to refer to discussions about Planned Parenthood’s receipt of forgivable COVID-era Paycheck Protection Program loans following congressional objections and demands for transparency.
The use of a term associated with the 2012 terrorist attack in Libya that killed four Americans is believed to have been employed strategically to prevent future congressional or public record requests from uncovering documents related to Planned Parenthood’s funding, potentially violating the Federal Records Act.
“Just when we think the Democrats’ extremism can’t get more shocking,” Ernst stated on Tuesday. “What does Benghazi have to do with Planned Parenthood? It appears the Biden SBA used it as a code name to hide the $90 million in taxpayer funds they gifted to the abortion provider.”
In her letter requesting acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to investigate, Ernst highlighted numerous emails from Hamilton where “Benghazi” was explicitly used as shorthand for Planned Parenthood. One email read: “Can I schedule a meeting so we can decision Benghazi (Planned Parenthood)?”
“Recipients and respondents in the SBA email chains knew Planned Parenthood was not in or even remotely related to Benghazi, yet by continuing the email chain and scheduling meetings, it appears several Biden political appointees, and some SBA employees, were knowingly concealing or attempting to conceal their records,” Ernst stated. She added that with the records detailed, “perhaps now we know why the Biden administration did not want to share its Planned Parenthood records with Congress.”
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, commented: “They knew letting Planned Parenthood help itself to taxpayer-funded COVID loans was illegal — so they tried to cover their tracks using, of all things, the national horror of Benghazi.”
These revelations follow recent SBA letters sent to 38 Planned Parenthood affiliates demanding proof of eligibility for pandemic-era relief loans. Affiliates found to have provided false certifications could face severe penalties, including repayment of loans and loss of forgiveness.
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler stated: “Planned Parenthood Federation of America was never eligible to receive a dime in pandemic-era relief from taxpayers. As part of the review under way, not only will we expose the Planned Parenthood affiliates who took advantage of the American people — we will take every necessary step to force every bad actor to pay them back.”
Planned Parenthood did not respond to requests for comment.
