Justice Department begins investigation on Planned Parenthood over baby body parts trafficking

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into Planned Parenthood's alleged involvement in the sale of aborted baby body parts.

Justice Department Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs Stephen Boyd has made a formal request for unredacted documents related to the Senate Judiciary Committee's report on the transfer of fetal tissue by Planned Parenthood.

"The Department of Justice appreciates the offer of assistance in obtaining these materials, and would like to request the Committee provide unredacted copies of records contained in the report, in order to further the Department's ability to conduct a thorough and comprehensive assessment of that report based on the full range of information available," Boyd wrote in a letter obtained by Fox News.

Last month, it was reported that the FBI first made the request for the unredacted documents from the Senate Judiciary Committee, which was the same panel that led the congressional probe into the abortion provider.

The letter, sent to Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), is said to be a rare confirmation of a federal investigation by the Justice Department.

Grassley and Feinstein had reportedly stated that they needed to receive a letter as well as an assurance that the documents will be used for investigative purposes.

"At this point, the records are intended for investigative use only—we understand that a resolution from the Senate may be required if the Department were to use any of the unredacted materials in a formal legal proceeding, such as a grand jury," Boyd's letter read.

A committee spokesman noted that it has received the Justice Department's "official request for unredacted copies of its 2016 report and we will work to cooperate fully."

In the 2016 report, Grassley had referred Planned Parenthood and other providers to the FBI for investigation, noting that the committee had discovered enough evidence that showed how abortion providers that transferred aborted baby body parts for research by charging amounts higher than the actual costs.

The probe into Planned Parenthood came after the pro-life group Center for Medical Progress (CMP) released undercover videos purportedly showing Planned Parenthood officials negotiating prices for fetal tissues collected from abortions.

Planned Parenthood, however, claimed that the videos were misleading and heavily edited, adding that the 13 states that had investigated the allegations had cleared the abortion provider of any wrongdoing.

A representative for Planned Parenthood had not commented on Boyd's letter but cited a November statement in which an official with the abortion provider insisted that the organization never profited from facilitating its patients' choice to donate fetal tissue for use in medical research.