"Project Veritas has engaged in disgraceful deceptions, and reasonable observers might not consider their activities to be journalism at all," the ACLU announced in a statement. "Nevertheless, the precedent set in this case could have serious consequences for press freedom."
"Unless the government had good reason to believe that Project Veritas employees were directly involved in the criminal theft of the diary, it should not have subjected them to invasive searches and seizures," the ACLU went on.
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"We urge the court to appoint a special master to ensure that law enforcement officers review only those materials that were lawfully seized and that are directly relevant to a legitimate criminal investigation," the organization continued.
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The FBI reportedly raided O'Keefe and his associates because of Ashley Biden's alleged diary, which ended up in the hands of Project Veritas last fall, though the organization chose not to publish it and turned it over to law enforcement. Ashley Biden is the daughter of President Biden.
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On Thursday, District Court Judge Analisa Torres from the Southern District of New York ordered the DOJ to halt the extraction of information from O'Keefe's phones, which were confiscated by the FBI. The judge further granted the application from O'Keefe's legal team for an independent "special master" to be appointed to manage the review of his devices.
The ACLU's announcement echoed objections raised by First Amendment specialists who recently spoke to Politico.
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Politico quoted University of Minnesota law professor Jane Kirtley, a former executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, who called the raids "just beyond belief."
"I'm not a big fan of Project Veritas, but this is just over the top. I hope they get a serious reprimand from the court because I think this is just wrong," Kirtley announced.
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Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity about the raid last week, O'Keefe stated, "I've heard 'the process is the punishment.' I didn't really understand what that meant until this weekend. And Sean, I wouldn't wish this on any journalist."
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"The Department of Justice's use of a search warrant to seize a reporter's notes and work product violates decades of established Supreme Court precedent," O'Keefe lawyer Paul Calli wrote to prosecutors.
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O'Keefe's lawyers are demanding that the court appoint a special master to supervise the review of the information on his phones, which they contend contains sensitive details regarding confidential sources, as well as privileged communication with Project Veritas' attorneys.
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