Topline
Two Florida residents who stole a diary belonging to President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley have pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges over the theft and later sale of its contents to Project Veritas, a hard-right activist organization.
Ashley Biden and Joe Biden attend Gilt x Livelihood Launch Event at 6 St. John’s Lane on February 7, … [+]
Key Facts
Aimee Harris, 40, and Robert Kurdlander, 58, both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, the Justice Department said.
Harris obtained the diary in the months leading up to the 2020 election and enlisted her friend Kurdlander to contact Project Veritas, which agreed to pay $40,000 for it, according to the New York Times.
Project Veritas ultimately did not publish the diary, but the right-wing National File news website also obtained a copy and published its contents on October 24, 2020, which failed to attract significant news coverage.
Harris and Kurdlander both face up to five years in prison and agreed to forfeit the $40,000 to the government as part of their plea agreements.
Key Background
Harris reportedly moved into an apartment in Delray Beach, Florida, with her two children in July 2020, just a few weeks after Ashley Biden, 41, temporarily left the apartment for the Philadelphia area to support her father’s campaign. Ashley Biden planned to return to the apartment in the fall, and decided to leave behind some bags containing personal items, such as the diary. Harris, a Trump supporter who was short on money, later learned that Ashley Biden had lived at the residence. She then found the diary and made contact with Kurdlander in August to help reach out to Project Veritas, according to the New York Times. The right-wing organization—which bills itself as an investigative journalism outlet that has become well-known for publishing heavily edited, misleading video clips—agreed to buy the diary in September 2020 after confirming its authenticity. A member of the organization reportedly did so by calling Ashley Biden and pretending to have found the diary, telling her he hoped to return it. Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe told staff in an October 12, 2020, email that he decided against publishing the diary since it would be “characterized as a cheap shot,” according to the New York Times. The diary was handed over to police in November 2020.
Tangent
Federal agents carried out an early Saturday morning raid at O’Keefe’s home in November, reportedly to seize cellphones as part of its probe into the diary theft. O’Keefe said he was handcuffed while in his underwear as the FBI scoured his residence.
Further Reading
How Ashley Biden’s Diary Made Its Way to Project Veritas (New York Times)
Ashley Biden’s Diary Was Shown at Trump Fund-Raiser. Weeks Later, Project Veritas Called Her. (New York Times)
FBI Searches Project Veritas James O’Keefe’s Home As Part Of Probe Into Ashley Biden Diary Theft (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/08/25/two-plead-guilty-to-stealing-ashey-bidens-diary-selling-it-to-project-veritas-for-40000/