On May 7, we contacted every member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. We sought their support for our call to censure Rep. Brian Sims for his bullying and his vicious anti-Catholicism. Two days later we called for a criminal probe. We were encouraged by the response we received.
What Sims did on May 5 was outrageous. Unprovoked, he accosted an elderly Catholic woman who was praying the rosary outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Philadelphia and started bullying her.
For eight uninterrupted minutes, Sims badgered her, telling her to go pray at home. When she asked him to stop, he followed her around and threatened to make her home address public so that others could harass her.
On a previous occasion he became equally aggressive attempting to intimidate three teenage girls. He even offered $100 to anyone who would identify the girls, hoping to have protesters show up at their house to badger them.
On May 7, Bill Donohue sent a letter in the overnight mail to PA Rep. Frank Farry, Chairman of the Committee on Ethics, asking him to formally introduce a resolution calling for the censure of Sims. The LGBT activist and lawmaker refused to apologize; he has a history of unethical behavior, having been investigated for several instances of financial improprieties.
His latest stunt is far worse. There is no place in public office for any person who bullies innocent women and girls for peacefully exercising their First Amendment right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
On May 9, Donohue asked PA House members to support Pennsylvania State Republican Chairman Val DiGiorgio in his quest for a criminal probe. He also wrote to Philadelphia D.A. Larry Krasner asking him to launch a criminal investigation of Sims; such a probe was already under review.
U.S. Senator Al Franken was driven from office after revelations of sexual misconduct. What Sims did was worse. Franken’s offenses took place before he was elected to the Senate—Sims committed his offenses while in office. Justice demands that no public official be permitted to get away with such obscene conduct.
Sims should not only resign, he should be investigated for his conduct. If found guilty, he should be given the maximum sentence. He is not a private person—he has violated the public trust by violating the Constitutional rights of four females, placing all of them in danger. We made it clear that this is not simply a Pennsylvania issue—it is a national issue.
Pennsylvania lawmakers contacted our office pledging their support. They also asked us to cooperate with them. We certainly will.
