A federal court ordered Wednesday that a special master be appointed to review materials seized by the FBI during raids against Project Veritas last month.
The special master will determine whether evidence seized by the FBI in raids against Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe and two former Project Veritas employees can be used by prosecutors in a case involving the alleged theft of Ashley Biden’s diary. Judge Analisa Torres granted Project Veritas’ request that a special master be appointed, but declined to order the Department of Justice (DOJ) to conduct an investigation to determine whether information about the raid was leaked to The New York Times.
The FBI carried out the raids as part of an investigation into whether the diary of Ashley Biden, the now-40-year-old daughter of President Joe Biden, was stolen last year. The diary was handed over by sources to Project Veritas in September 2020, but the organization declined to publish its contents and instead turned it over to law enforcement. Project Veritas denies any involvement in the original procurement of the diary, insisting that it was given to them by a source. (RELATED: NY Supreme Court Sides With Project Veritas, Allows Group To Depose The New York Times)
BOOM!!! Federal court orders the appointment of a special master to review materials seized from Project Veritas in the DOJ’s Ashley Biden Diary case… despite DOJ objections, court rules First Amendment protections support our client’s request. Great work by Paul Calli and team! pic.twitter.com/mEreTL9OwM
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban) December 8, 2021
Retired U.S. District Court judge Barbara Jones will be the special master in the case. Project Veritas celebrated the ruling Wednesday, with attorney Harmeet Dhillon applauding it as a victory for the organization’s first amendment rights.