FBI Reportedly Raids Project Veritas Founder's Home as Part of Ashley Biden's 'Stolen’ Diary Probe
© AP Photo / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Subscribe
Previously, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed that "court authorised law enforcement activity" had taken place at the homes of two Project Veritas associates as part of a probe into the disappearance of a diary belonging to Ashley Biden, daughter of US President Joe Biden.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) carried out a raid on the home of conservative media group Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe early on Saturday morning, reported The New York Times.
The court-mandated search was said to be part of a federal investigation conducted by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Manhattan into the circumstances surrounding the "stolen" diary of US President Joe Biden’s youngest child, his daughter, Ashley Biden. Agents had "performed law enforcement activity" at O'Keefe’s apartment building in Mamaroneck, New York, according to a spokesman for the FBI, cited by the outlet.
Project Veritas ‘Under Attack’
While O’Keefe did not offer a comment on the Saturday developments, in an earlier video statement, recorded on 5 November, he had acknowledged that Project Veritas had “come under attack" after the homes of two associates had been the subject of search warrants.
O’Keefe released this statement yesterday.
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) November 6, 2021
The FBI is now being weaponized against journalists.
pic.twitter.com/JcKLpxRlkK
Furthermore, according to O’Keefe, his group had recently received a grand jury subpoena and had been involved in discussions with sources last year about the diary belonging to Ashley Biden that went missing just days before the 2020 presidential election.
"I woke to the news that apartments and homes of Project Veritas journalists, or former journalists, had been raided by FBI agents. It appears the Southern District of New York now has journalists in their sights for the supposed crime of doing their jobs lawfully and honestly, or at least this journalist," said the founder of investigative journalism site.
O'Keefe also questioned how it had transpired that "within an hour" of the FBI raid of the home of a Project Veritas reporter, the Times had gotten in touch with the aforesaid reporter for comment.
"We do not know how the New York Times was aware of the execution of a search warrant at our reporter's home or the subject matter of the search warrant as a grand jury investigation is secret.”
O’Keefe claimed his organisation was previously in contact with the Department of Justice and had provided what he described as "unassailable facts that demonstrate Project Veritas' lack of involvement in criminal activity and/or criminal intent."
"Our efforts were the stuff of responsible ethical journalism, and we are in no doubt that Project Veritas acted properly at each and every step," O'Keefe insisted.
Ashley Biden Diary
The NYT previously reported that a probe, active since October 2020, is seeking to determine how Ashley Biden's allegedly stolen diary was disclosed and wound up for sale prior to the 2020 presidential election.
The Project Veritas founder revealed that "tipsters" who he had never met prior had contacted his group late last year, claiming they had in their possession Ashley Biden's diary. The notebook had been purportedly abandoned in a room that the American social worker, activist and philanthropist had stayed at.
President Joe Biden hugs first lady Jill Biden, his son Hunter Biden and daughter Ashley Biden after being sworn-in during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021
© AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster
The diary was touted as containing "explosive allegations" about her father, then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. The "tipsters" were believed to be negotiating with media outlets to sell the diary. However, Project Veritas, notorious for exposing Democratic politicians and media bias via hidden cameras and other undercover tactics, had been unable to verify the authenticity of the alleged diary and accordingly, did not publish its contents.
Handwritten pages of the diary’s contents were published on a right-wing website owned by Flyover Media ahead of the 3 November Election Day in 2020.
"Project Veritas gave the diary to law enforcement to ensure it could be returned to its rightful owner. We never published it. Now, Ms. Biden's father's Department of Justice, specifically the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, appears to be investigating the situation, claiming the diary was stolen. We don't know if it was but it begs the question: In what world is the alleged theft of a diary investigated by the President's FBI and his Department of Justice? A diary?," said O'Keefe in his video statement.
The political activist and provocateur suggested the entire investigation "smacks of politics", but vowed that Project Veritas will "not back down".
There is a "huge difference" between Ashley Biden's attorney alleging that her diary was stolen and the “tipsters” claims that it was ostensibly abandoned in a room, legal analyst Gregg Jarrett emphasised, appearing on Fox News’ "Hannity" on 5 November, adding that "one's a crime and the other one isn't".
"… We don't know a whole lot about this story, but it's deeply troubling. They would barge into the homes of two journalists armed with a search warrant signed off by a federal judge and the Department of Justice, presided over by Joe Biden, this smacks of a political investigation and potential prosecution."
