The use of the FBI is also reminiscent of the still unexplained use of the FBI when Joe Biden was Vice President to search for a gun discarded by Hunter Biden behind a restaurant.
Project Veritas decided not to run the story because it could not verify that the diary belonged to Biden. (The FBI may have just offered that confirmation). Instead, it alerted the police, according to O’Keefe: “Project Veritas gave the diary to law enforcement to ensure it could be returned to its rightful owner. We never published it.”
So why the raids? Since when does the FBI conducted raids over missing diaries?
The FBI can cite the interstate elements of the alleged theft as raising a federal crime. However, what is the crime? It is not clear if they are suggesting that the responsible parties were seeking to sell the diary or that there was some national security element (which would be bizarre since Biden’s daughter was writing before her father ever became president).
Journalist organizations are routinely given material removed from businesses, agencies, or private owners without permission by confidential sources. If this is a federal crime subject to FBI raids, what happened to the new media policies of the Biden Administration after the Tucker Carlson controversy?
Perhaps their justification is claiming it was an internet crime or the diary crossed state lines. Or, they have no justification and just did it. Probably no justification.
https://federalcriminallawcenter.com/2018/01/federal-theft-laws/
WHAT MAKES AN OFFENSE FEDERAL THEFT?
Certain characteristics of an offense can result in a theft being prosecuted as a federal rather than a state offense. Some people are charged with federal theft for stealing property that belongs to the federal government. An offense that occurred on a Native American reservation or on international waters is also prosecuted as federal theft. A person can also be prosecuted for federal theft if the offense crossed state lines like in situations where a person transports property through several states. Additionally, acts of theft that involve the internet are often prosecuted as federal crimes.
So if I report to the FBI that my diary has been stolen they will start breaking down doors searching for it? This entire episode reeks.
Just the flimsy excuse you need to cover up going after political enemies, which of course is a felony since its the deprivation of rights, not that anyone in the communist government now running our country is ever going to be held accountable for. Not to mention its a good way to get a hold of his sources if he keeps them there.
Sound a lot like what has happened in Hong Kong is now happening here.
O’Keefe is lucky he’s still alive.
These “raids” were an excuse to look at everything Project Veritas has. At the rate we are going it will not be long until such raids are accompanied by the disappearance of the people being raided.
IMHO I think Project Veritas was in the process of another sting operation, one that could be very damaging. The resent expose have been OK but not earth shattering.
They used the diary as an excuse to raid & gather Intel. The fact that the NY Times was tipped of is another big clue on the coordination between Government Agencies and the left media.