ACLU warns of 'precedent' set by DOJ raid of Project Veritas: 'Serious consequences'

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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Sunday warned against the potential consequences of the Justice Department's recent raids of Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe's residence and the residences of his associates.

"Project Veritas has engaged in disgraceful deceptions, and reasonable observers might not consider their activities to be journalism at all," the ACLU said in a statement. "Nevertheless, the precedent set in this case could have serious consequences for press freedom.

Political activist James O'Keefe poses for a photo as he attends the New York screening of the Mike Cernovich film "Hoaxed" in Manhattan in New York City, U.S., December 9, 2018. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

"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 continued.

"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 added.

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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 decided against publishing it and turned it over to law enforcement. Ashley Biden is a daughter of President Biden.

President Joe Biden embraces his family First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, son Hunter Biden and daughter Ashley after being sworn in during his inauguation on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

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 also granted the request from O'Keefe's legal team for an independent "special master" to be appointed to oversee the review of his devices.

The ACLU's statement echoed objections raised by First Amendment experts who recently spoke to Politico.

Politico quoted University of Minnesota law professor Jane Kirtley, a former executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, who described the raids as "just beyond belief."

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"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 said.

Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden's daughter Ashley Biden speaks by video feed during the 4th and final night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, as participants from across the country are hosted over video links from the originally planned site of the convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. August 20, 2020. 2020 Democratic National Convention/Pool via REUTERS

Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity about the raid last week, O'Keefe said, "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."