Culture and Social Issues

FBI Agents Questioned Pro-Life Activist’s Mother During Surprise Visit To Her Home, Video Shows

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A pair of FBI agents made a surprise visit to pro-life activist Elise Ketch’s mother’s house last month, asking how they could locate Ketch to speak with her “regarding some information that was sent to us,” according to the Daily Signal.

Ketch is the digital content creator for Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), and the organization made headlines after discovering five bodies of babies that had possibly been killed after failed abortion attempts. In April, FBI agents Ashley Roberts and Kathleen Brown showed up at Ketch’s mother’s house asking to talk to her daughter about some “information” that was given to the agency, according to footage from a Ring doorbell camera obtained by the Daily Signal.

Ketch’s mother informed the agents that her daughter did not live there and asked to see their badges, after which, Roberts asked for an address or phone number to get in touch with Ketch

“She’s not in any trouble,” Roberts said. “We just have some information we need to ask her about. We would tell you all the information because, like I said, she’s not in any trouble, but just out of respect for her, we’d like to speak with her first.”

NEW: FBI agents Ashley Roberts and Kathleen Brown showed up at the childhood home of pro-life activist Elise Ketch. The agents asked to speak with Ketch, who is a member of @PAAUNOW.

Here’s the Ring security camera footage, first obtained by @Dailysignal: pic.twitter.com/QoY2HL9ytA

— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) May 17, 2023

Ketch’s mother called her daughter as the agents waited on the front porch of the house, according to the footage. Upon learning that the FBI had been questioning her mother, Ketch can be heard saying, “Mom, don’t tell them anything” over the phone.

“While they reassured my mother that I was not in trouble, it’s also possible that they see me as a threat due to my pro-life activism and intended to investigate me,” Ketch said. “Yet, to my knowledge, they never attempted to follow up with me or my attorney, so I believe the FBI’s true motive behind their visit to my parents’ home was to intimidate me and my team.”

PAAU’s Director of Activism and Mutual Aid Lauren Handy is currently under indictment by the FBI for charges before she worked at PAAU under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE), which “prohibits threats of force, obstruction and property damage intended to interfere with reproductive health care services,” according to the Daily Signal.

Ketch told the Daily Signal that the agents might have also been trying to obtain information to “help build their case against [Handy].”

Catholic father Mark Houck testified before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday about his experience with the FBI after they raided his home and arrested him in front of his family, charging him with violating the FACE Act for allegedly assaulting an abortion clinic volunteer. Houck was later acquitted on all counts in January after a jury deadlocked.

PAAU, FBI and Ketch did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.