Leah Remini calls out Karen Bass for past praise of Scientology: Victims 'deserve better from you'

Name: Rep. Karen Bass on being Biden’s potential VP pick: ‘I am prepared to do the job’
Uploaded: 2020-08-02T09:40:22-04:00
Duration: 6 min 55 s
Description: Rep. Karen Bass, head of the Congressional Black Caucus and a reported vice presidential contender, joins Chris Wallace on 'Fox News Sunday.'

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Rep. Karen Bass on being Biden’s potential VP pick: ‘I am prepared to do the job’

Rep. Karen Bass, head of the Congressional Black Caucus and a reported vice presidential contender, joins Chris Wallace on 'Fox News Sunday.'

Actress Leah Remini called out Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., for her past praise of Scientology.

Bass, who is on Joe Biden's VP short list, faced backlash after a 2010 video surfaced featuring the congresswoman speaking at the Church of Scientology, an organization that's been accused by some former members of behaving like a cult.

“The Church of Scientology I know has made a difference, because your creed is a universal creed and one that speaks to all people everywhere,” Bass said in the video obtained by the Daily Caller.

“The words are exciting of your founder, L. Ron Hubbard, in The Creed of the Church of Scientology: that all people of whatever race, color or creed, are created with equal rights,” she said.

Remini, a former Scientologist who has been an outspoken critic of the organization, ripped the congresswoman on Instagram.

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“'My views have not changed' says @repkaren bass- I too supported this criminal cult of Scientology at one time," Remini began on Sunday. "But most of us believed we had no option to do our research for fear of being punished for looking -- just as it is in Scientology today. I was raised in it from childhood. What is the excuse for those never in who lend their voice to this criminal cult? Are you denouncing Scientology or are you saying you still think this cult deserves your support? ‪Great that you attempted to distance yourself from this cult now, but is your current stance on Scientology that it is a religion?"

The former "King of Queens" star then laid out damning claims about the Church of Scientology, arguing it's not a "real church."

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“My views have not changed” says @repkarenbass —— I too supported this criminal cult of Scientology at one time. But most of us believed we had no option to do our research for fear of being punished for looking -- just as it is in Scientology today. I was raised in it from childhood. What is the excuse for those never-in who lend their voice to this criminal cult? Are you denouncing Scientology or are you saying you still think this cult deserves your support? ‪Great that you attempted to distance yourself from this cult now, but is your current stance on Scientology that it is a religion? Scientology is guilty of breaking up families, abusing its staff & followers, extortion, destroying evidence, infiltrating government agencies, going after its perceived enemies. It is not like any real church. No real church has a price list for its services, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions. Businesses do. No real church denounces God (any God) as a “lie.” No real church has a dedicated department to go after its former members with the intent to “destroy utterly” anyone reporting their abuses to the authorities. And policies forbidding it. No real church uses it’s tax exempt money to harass, scare into silence those speaking out or using millions upon millions to hire private investigators to watch, stalk former members, just because they can. No real church has its employees, celebrities and followers attempt to destroy those speaking out about its abuses. The victims of Scientology and its fair game tactics deserve better from you. Our country deserves a VP who fights for those who can’t fight for themselves. We need leaders who take a side for the good and decent when it’s not convenient, who are willing to fight the Goliaths of the world.

A post shared by Leah Remini (@leahremini) on Aug 2, 2020 at 3:16pm PDT

"Scientology is guilty of breaking up families, abusing its staff & followers, extortion, destroying evidence, infiltrating government agencies, going after its perceived enemies. It is not like any real church. No real church has a price list for its services, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions. Businesses do. No real church denounces God (any God) as a 'lie,'" Remini wrote. "No real church has a dedicated department to go after its former members with the intent to 'destroy utterly' anyone reporting their abuses to the authorities. And policies forbidding it. No real church uses it’s tax exempt money to harass, scare into silence those speaking out or using millions upon millions to hire private investigators to watch, stalk former members, just because they can. No real church has its employees, celebrities and followers attempt to destroy those speaking out about its abuses."

She continued, "The victims of Scientology and its fair game tactics deserve better from you. Our country deserves a VP who fights for those who can’t fight for themselves. We need leaders who take a side for the good and decent when it’s not convenient, who are willing to fight the Goliaths of the world."

Remini produced the A&E docuseries “Scientology and the Aftermath,” which featured stories of former members of the Church of Scientology and the lives that were affected by the organization's actions.

Fox News has reached out to the Church of Scientology for comment.

Fox News' Adam Shaw contributed to this report.