Biden VP prospect Karen Bass claims Scientology hadn't been 'exposed' before her 2010 praise of it, despite several high-profile media probes in the 1990s and 2000s

• Rep. Karen Bass defended decade-old comments she made praising the Church of Scientology by implying that not much was known about the Church's alleged abuses at the time.
• Bass, who is a top candidate to be Joe Biden's running mate, spoke positively of the group and its founder during a 2010 appearance at a Los Angeles Church of Scientology.
• Bass on Friday said she was attempting to find common ground with people who had "very different" beliefs and said the Church's alleged abuses were "exposed" in subsequent years.
• But there had already been many reports detailing the Church's controversies, including alleged physical and psychological abuse of members and staffers, prior to 2010.

Rep. Karen Bass, a candidate to be Joe Biden's vice presidential running mate, defended decade-old comments she made praising the Church of Scientology by falsely implying that not much was known about the Church's alleged abuses at the time.

Bass, then speaker of California's state legislature, spoke at the inauguration of a Los Angeles Church of Scientology in 2010.

"That is why 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," Bass said in the video clip, which was first reported last week by The Daily Caller. "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."

Following media coverage of her comments, the congresswoman sought to explain her remarks and suggested that the group, which describes itself as a religion, hadn't yet been "exposed" at the time.

Bass, who belongs to a Baptist church in Los Angeles, said in the statement that she was attempting to find common ground with the group's followers.

"Back in 2010 I attended the event knowing I was going to address a group of people with beliefs very different than my own, and spoke briefly about things I think most of us agree with, and on those things — respect for different views, equality, and fighting oppression — my views have not changed," she said.

She added, "Since then, published first-hand accounts in books, interviews and documentaries have exposed this group. Everyone is now aware of the allegations against Scientology."

But prior to 2010 there had been numerous prominent media reports and other investigations of alleged abuses committed by the Church of Scientology, which has been under scrutiny since its founding in the 1950s.

Many who worked for the church said they labored in dehumanizing conditions. Hubbard said in a 1964 order that nothing, aside from death, should prevent a Church staffer from working.

"If a staff member's breath can be detected on a mirror, he or she can do his or her job," Hubbard said.

The Church was regularly in the news in the years leading up to Bass' 2010 appearance.

Among these reports was a series of 1990 Los Angeles Times articles that detailed the Church's inner workings, including its campaign against psychiatry and its aggressive pursuit of support from politicians and other leaders in media and government. The paper interviewed former Scientologists who left the Church and alleged they were subjected to abuse and psychological manipulation.

In an award-winning 1991 Time Magazine cover story on Scientology titled, "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power," investigative reporter Richard Behar described Scientology "poses as a religion but is really a ruthless global scam."

And the Tampa Bay Times detailed in a series of stories in 2009 how leaders of the Church of Scientology used physical violence and psychological abuse to control members, managers, and workers.