Ashley Biden’s diary – which was published shortly before the 2020 election by a conservative news site that highlighted a claim against her father – is the subject of a criminal probe launched by the FBI, which is investigating locations connected with Project Veritas, the conservative group that conducts stings on public figures in politics and the media.
According to NBC, an FBI spokesperson confirmed that the agency is investigating “the possible theft of a diary belonging to President Joe Biden’s daughter, Ashley Biden.”
Unverified pages of the alleged diary first emerged on a website called National File. You can read that original report here. It was mostly ignored when it was first published on October 26, 2020, right before the 2020 presidential election. Project Veritas did not publish the diary; the group’s founder said in an email to followers that it could not verify the diary was real at that time. However, conservative commentators have seized on the FBI investigation as proof the diary was Biden’s; it contains an allegation that she was concerned she was molested, although the page does not specify by whom.
The published page also contains the line that the writer remembers “showers w/ my dad (probably not appropriate).”
The FBI has not specifically verified that those pages came from the diary it’s investigating; however, major news organizations, including The New York Times, have reported that the handwritten pages published on the conservative website were “from” Ashley Biden’s diary. However, those news outlets are generally leaving the actual claims in the published pages out of their stories, including the passage about showers; they’ve been widely circulated, though, by conservatives like Candace Owens on social media.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The New York Times Says Handwritten Pages From the Diary Were Published & the FBI Is Investigating Whether It Was Stolen
GettyAshley Biden, Joe’s daughter, with her parents.
The New York Times reported that the FBI investigation is “into how a diary stolen from President Biden’s daughter, Ashley, came to be publicly disclosed a week and a half before the 2020 presidential election.”
The Times further reported, “Project Veritas did not publish Ms. Biden’s diary, but dozens of handwritten pages from it were posted on a right wing website.”
According to the New York Times, the investigation was first opened in October 2020 by Trump’s Justice Department after a representative for Biden’s family reported that “several of Ms. Biden’s personal items had been stolen in a burglary.”
The Times, which is being sued by Project Veritas in another case, reported that the Justice Department “searched two locations” associated with the group. The searches were court ordered and occurred in New York City and Westchester County.
The searches were “targeting people who had worked with the group and its leader, James O’Keefe,” and the probe is being led by the FBI and federal prosecutors in New York, according to the Times.
NBC reported that the FBI acknowledged conducting “court authorized law enforcement activity” at an address “associated with Project Veritas in Mamaroneck, N.Y., and another address on E. 35th St. in Manhattan.”
2. Project Veritas Claims the Diary ‘Had Been Abandoned in a Room’ in Which Ashley Biden Stayed & Confirms that the Southern District of New York Is Investigating Project Veritas’s Employees
In a letter to followers of his website, Project Veritas’s founder James O’Keefe wrote, “I awoke 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.”
He added: “I had to think long and hard before making this statement. It’s a decision that only I can make. They don’t want me to defend myself and immediately tried to silence me. That’s why the cover letter for the Grand Jury Subpoena we received contains this language: ‘The Government hereby requests that you voluntarily refrain from disclosing the existence of the subpoena to any third party. While you are under no obligation to comply with our request, we are requesting you not to make any disclosure in order to preserve the confidentiality of the investigation and because disclosure of the existence of this investigation might interfere with and impede the investigation'”
Here is the rest of O’Keefe’s statement:
But while the Department of Justice requested us to not disclose the existence of the subpoena, something very unusual happened. Within an hour of one of our reporters’ homes being secretly raided by the FBI, The New York Times, who we are currently suing for defamation, contacted the Project Veritas 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.
The FBI took materials of current, and former, Veritas journalists despite the fact that our legal team previously contacted the Department of Justice and voluntarily conveyed unassailable facts that demonstrate Project Veritas’ lack of involvement in criminal activity and/or criminal intent. Like any reporter, we regularly deal with the receipt of source information and take steps to verify its authenticity, legality, and newsworthiness. 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.
However, it appears journalism itself may now be on trial.
Late last year, we were approached by tipsters claiming they had a copy of Ashley Biden’s diary. We had never met or heard of the tipsters. The tipsters indicated that the diary had been abandoned in a room in which Ms. Biden stayed at the time, and in which the tipsters stayed in temporarily after Ms. Biden departed the room. The tipsters indicated that the diary included explosive allegations against then-candidate, Joe Biden. The tipsters indicated that they were negotiating with a different media outlet for the payment of monies for the diary. The tipsters were represented by attorneys who handled the negotiations with Project Veritas.
We investigated the claims provided to us, as journalists do. We took steps to corroborate the authenticity of the diary. At the end of the day, we made the ethical decision that because, in part, we could not determine if the diary was real, if the diary in fact belonged to Ashley Biden, or if the contents of the diary occurred, we could not publish the diary and any part thereof. We attempted to return the diary to an attorney representing Ms. Biden, but that attorney refused to authenticate it. 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! This federal investigation smacks of politics. Project Veritas never threatened or engaged in any illegal conduct.
Should the Southern District of New York try to take away our First Amendment rights to uncover and publish newsworthy stories without government intimidation, be assured, Project Veritas will not back down.
Nothing stops at Project Veritas.
Let me be clear. Our mission is to serve the public’s right to know by illuminating, revealing and exposing information others wish to hide for the wrong reasons. To quote Lord Acton, we believe everything kept secret degenerates. We don’t mislead or conceal. We investigate facts and potential newsworthy information. Sometimes, as was the case here, after we investigate, we decide to not publish a news story. Project Veritas will run from nothing, and we will hide from nothing. We exist for the very purpose of discovering and revealing the truth, in hope to make the world a more transparent place.
Now, this is not the first time we have been attacked and it will not be the last. We know why. We’ve investigated powerful people, and, in many ways, we are the tip of the spear, but we never break the law. Our rule is to act as if there are 12 jurors on our shoulders all the time. The truth will vindicate us.
When the FBI and the Southern District of New York seize reporter’s notebooks, it is not just an attack on Project Veritas. It is an attack on every American and our sacred right to free speech and a free press. The First Amendment is first for a reason: it guarantees all the other rights that follow, because it’s about accountability. Without accountability, freedom itself is an illusion.
So, the great question is: Is this an indicator in the direction that America is going?
We’ve gone far beyond the point of partisan politics in this country. They ask us to focus on our divisions. They don’t ask us to focus on the things which unite us. What unites us is so much more powerful than what divides us.
The First Amendment doesn’t just matter to people on one side. It matters to people on all sides.
That is why I’m calling on all Americans, and especially all journalists, to stand with us for the right to free speech, the free press, and to send a message that the politics of fear will not prevail in the United States of America.
3. The Pages Contain a Line That Says, ‘Was I Molested. I Think So’ & Mentions ‘Showers W/ My Dad’
GettyAshley Biden
The pages published by the National File contain this line, “Was I molested. I think so – I can’t remember specifics but I do remember trauma.” The person the writer is accusing of molestation, if they even remembered it, is not mentioned in the pages.
“Hyper-sexualized @ a young age,” the page reads. “What is this due to? Was I molested. I think so – I can’t remember specifics but I do remember trauma – I remember not liking the (last name’s) house; I remember somewhat being sexualized with (another female); I remember having sex with friends @ a young age; showers w/ my dad (probably not appropriate); being turned on when I wasn’t suppose to be.”
The pages can be found in full at that site here.
The page also refers to “overhearing parents having sex” and claims, “my mother not emotionally available. My father was – message – I could get love from men.”
It also refers to “being wiped until too late in the game,” and “blanket being taken away,” and “not letting myself go to bathroom.”
The writer discusses family in the diary, writing, “I think what keeps coming up for me is my brothers. How I don’t have them in my life anymore.”
The writer also wrote, “I am grateful for my father” and talks in great detail about her efforts at self betterment and sobriety and moving on from a painful personal relationship.
Another page discusses “Hunter’s birthday” and “Beau’s birthday,” the names of Biden’s two sons; Beau is deceased.
In March 2019, the page says, “So… we are running. Announcement will be in April or early May. It is all super anxiety producing but I just have to take it one day at a time and relax.” Another passage says, “My dad cried on the phone saying he has a debate in a week and ‘now has to worry about you.’ And he cried.”
Under a column titled resentful and why, the writer wrote, “dad, $, control” and under a column titled “hurt,” after dad it says, “hurting self, lying.”
The National File claimed that the diary started “while the author was in a drug rehabilitation facility in Florida,” and contains intensely personal information, including about drug addiction. The National File wrote that it “obtained this document from a whistleblower who was concerned the media organization that employs him would not publish the materials in the final days before the presidential election.”
The National File wrote that it “has a recording of Ashley Biden admitting the diary is hers, and employed a handwriting expert who verified the pages were all written by Ashley.”
The report came as controversy swirled about the New York Post’s stories on Biden’s son Hunter’s laptop, which the media largely ignored before the presidential election.
The Bidens have not commented on the diary claims.
4. The Author of the Story Previously Broke Several Major Political Stories
The Pundit Class is busy doing process pieces on high-level investigative journalism instead of reporting on Joe and Ashley’s showers. How about they do a “follow up” on that?
The Times reported that the website that published the diary pages is owned by Flyover Media, which is registered to an address shared by Branch Six Consulting, which is run by a “former British spy named Richard Sneddon,” who has helped train Project Veritas in “espionage tactics,” according to The Times. O’Keefe also once presided over a company that used that address, The Times reported.
The Times reported that one of the locations searched by authorities was the residence of Spencer Meads, a “longtime Project Veritas operative and confidante of Mr. O’Keefe.”
The article’s byline is Patrick Howley.
According to the Times, he was also the first journalist to publish a yearbook picture showing Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and another person (the people in the photo were wearing a KKK outfit and blackface), and also first published text messages revealing an extramarital affair between Democratic Senate candidate in North Carolina, Cal Cunningham, and a woman. Both of those political stories had great political impact and were picked up by major news outlets all over the country, widely being regarded as legitimate stories.
Howley’s biography on National File describes him as “a seasoned reporter responsible for revealing the Veterans Affairs scandal, exposing Ralph Northam’s racist yearbook photo, breaking the Cal Cunningham adultery scandal, and revealing the financial links between the Pelosi family and Ukraine. Howley is currently focusing on the possible politicization of Child Protective Services. Follow Patrick on Twitter @HowleyReporter and at Gab.com/patrickreports.”
Howley tweeted, “The voice that the Deep State and the media is trying to suppress is Ashley Biden.”
Imagine being on the FBI “Find Ashley’s Diary” Task Force lol. Feds are ridiculous people
He also tweeted, “The Pundit Class is busy doing process pieces on high-level investigative journalism instead of reporting on Joe and Ashley’s showers. How about they do a ‘follow up’ on that?”
5. Ashley Biden Has Praised Her Parents in Past Interviews
Ashley Biden is the only daughter of President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden. The Bidens also raised Joe’s sons from his first marriage, Beau and Hunter. Joe Biden did have another daughter, who died very young.
The List once described Ashley Biden as “a social worker, activist, and entrepreneur with a passion for creating permanent change,” especially issues relating to poverty.
The Washington Examiner reported that Biden has worked for a Delaware nonprofit organization that received a $166,000 federal grant.
The group, the Delaware Center for Justice, received a federal Edward Byrne Memorial grant, which Joe Biden supported, the site reported.
Then 38, Ashley Biden had worked for the group for a year and was promoted to executive director, according to Examiner, which added that the grant is designed to “strengthen local law enforcement.”
In 2019, Biden announced she was leaving the group through a statement on Facebook.
At times, Biden has candidly discussed how being the daughter of a famous politician can come with difficulties.
“Any achievement that I accomplished, many people attributed to the fact that I was his daughter,” she once lamented, according to The List.
She praised her parents, though, saying, according to The List, “I was taught by both of my parents to work hard, to be passionate about whatever I did, and I felt that I did that and kind of got to where I am today because of hard work and passion and determination.”
Biden told Glamour magazine that public service was in her DNA, saying, “The passion started at a very young age. My dad is a lifelong public servant; my mom was a public-school teacher—it’s in my DNA.”
Biden told Glamour that her early calling came in animal welfare issues.
Biden told Elle that she was motivated by her parents’ professions. “I got a real sense that some people had a lot, and some had nothing at all,” Biden told Elle. “Even as a child, I had a hard time reconciling the inherent unfairness of it all.”
On LinkedIn, Biden lists experience as an education and employment liaison with the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families from 2007 to 2012; employment and education specialist at West End Neighborhood House in Wilmington, Delaware, from 2006 to 2007; and a clinical support specialist at NHS Children’s Reach Clinic in Philadelphia from 2003 to 2006.
According to Elle magazine, Biden started Livelihood, an “ethically produced, American-made clothing company.” The fashion line contained “supersoft organic cotton hoodies.”
Her debut collection proceeds were going to “alleviate poverty through education, training, and job placement,” Elle reported.
Elle reported that Biden graduated from Tulane University and earned a master’s in social work from the University of Pennsylvania. She also helped foster care children.
According to Washington Examiner, when she was 17, Biden was arrested for marijuana possession but charges weren’t pursued.
A decade later, a purported friend of hers tried to sell the New York Post a hidden camera video that they said showed a woman resembling Biden using cocaine, Examiner reported.
At Tulane University, she was known as a “party girl,” according to The New York Post.
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