Story highlights Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Center for Medical Progress

The group released video recordings of Planned Parenthood officials over the summer that caused a political firestorm

(CNN) Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit Thursday against the anti-abortion activists who secretly taped the group's officials talking about the sale of fetal tissue and released the heavily edited videos last year.

The videos sparked a political firestorm in Washington, with Republican lawmakers accusing Planned Parenthood of profiting from the sale and trying unsuccessfully to strip the group of federal funding.

Since the videos began surfacing in July, Planned Parenthood officials have maintained that the group does not profit from its sale of tissue donations to medical research and uses any money received to cover its costs.

And on Thursday, the group said it was going on the offensive against the group who produced the videos, The Center for Medical Progress.

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