It's been more than two years since Planned Parenthood was accused of trafficking in body parts; two years since the accusation was conclusively debunked, but the Jeff Sessions Justice Department is opening a new investigation of the matter.
The department is apparently acting on the recommendation of a handful of Republican senators who called for an investigation a year ago.
The head of Justice’s office of legislative affairs has sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee asking for documents from its investigation of Planned Parenthood’s fetal tissue practices. The Daily Beast reviewed the letter, which says the requested documents are “for investigative use.” [...]
The Justice Department’s request refers to a report that the Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans released last December, called “Human Fetal Tissue Research: Context and Controversy.”
The idea that Planned Parenthood runs a black market for fetuses wasn't just debunked, there were actual legal consequences for the people responsible for spreading the conspiracy theory in the first place. Moreover, several states tried to defund Planned Parenthood after the conspiracy videos were released and each of them lost in court. Some states were even forced to reimburse Planned Parenthood for legal costs.
How much time and money will the Justice Department waste chasing ghosts?
Ordinarily I'd say it's a good thing if Trump's Justice Department wastes their time, but this isn't an ordinary case. Republicans have control of the government now and even the most minuscule or irrelevant detail could be used to justify attacking Planned Parenthood again.