Founder of Project Veritas, James O’Keefe, has released a public statement detailing the shocking events of Thursday, November 4th in which the FBI raided the homes of former Project Veritas journalists in their investigation regarding a diary supposedly belonging to Joe Biden’s daughter, Ashley.

On Thursday, the Justice Department conducted searches of two residences whose owners are tied to Project Veritas. O’Keefe and the group have also received a subpoena from the grand jury.

Watch:

Here is what O’Keefe had to say about these recent events:

“By making this statement, I am putting myself at great risk, because on November 4th Project Veritas came under attack.

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.

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.’

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.”

In late 2020, Project Veritas was told there had been a diary discovered that was left behind in a room that Ashley Biden stayed in. This diary allegedly contained “explosive allegations” against Joe Biden, however, because Project Veritas could not verify the validity of this diary, they made the conscious choice not to publish it. Project Veritas then turned the diary into the authorities.

Although the contents were never published, nor were the claims of their accuracy proven, the U.S.  Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York is now conducting an investigation and claiming the diary had been stolen from Ashley. Whether or not the diary was stolen, however, is unknown to Project Veritas since they purchased it from tipsters, then handed it over to law enforcement.

In his video statement, O’Keefe asks, “In what world is the alleged theft of a diary investigated by the President’s FBI and his Department of Justice?”

This is especially strange because Project Veritas did not commit any illegal acts, nor did they threaten anyone with the release of the diary’s information.

“Project Veritas will run from nothing and we will hide from nothing,” said O’Keefe, “We exist for the very purpose of discovering and revealing the truth, and hope to make the world a more transparent place.”