The Deacon's Bench
A few days ago, the Pennsylvania politician, Brian Sims, made headlines and sparked outrage when he verbally assaulted a woman praying the rosary outside a Planned Parenthood clinic.
Tuesday, he thought better of that — after being flooded with angry reactions — and posted this followup video on Twitter:
I will fiercely protect a woman’s right to make the best choices for her health & her body, unimpeded. I also know that two wrongs don’t make a right, especially on the front lines of a civil rights battle. I can do better, and I will do better, for the women of Pennsylvania. pic.twitter.com/jURL1UX9qE
— Brian Sims (@BrianSimsPA) May 7, 2019
While some reports labeled this an “apology,” I wouldn’t go that far. At no point does he say “I’m sorry.” Nor does he express regret to the woman he targeted. “I can do better” doesn’t cut it.
How about “I was wrong and I apologize for violating this woman’s civil rights and trying to intimidate her on a public street”?
How about “I respect free speech and freedom of religion”?
How about “A former college football player shouldn’t physically threaten and verbally abuse an elderly woman, and I apologize”?
Does Brian Sims really think he helped his cause with this display?
Memo to Democrats: this is the sort of thing that will help re-elect Donald Trump. Keep up the good work.
In a letter sent to federal and state prosecutors Tuesday and posted online, Val DiGiorgio, chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, requested an investigation of whether Sims’s actions could constitute criminal conduct. DiGiorgio said Sims had engaged in “harassing, intimidating and threatening” behavior to people exercising their First Amendment right to peaceably assemble.
“Not only does Rep. Sims, a former collegiate-level football quarterback, use physical intimidation, but he also threatens people with so-called ‘doxing’ or enticing viewers to provide identifiable information about his targets to increase the harassment and intimidation of his victims,” DiGiorgio wrote.
A spokesman for the Philadelphia district attorney’s office said they were reviewing the letter and the videos and had not made any charging or investigative decisions.
Spokesmen for the state attorney general’s office and the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania declined to comment.
A protest is planned outside the clinic on Friday.
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