ACLU Comment on Allegations of Federal Law Enforcement Secretly Accessing Project Veritas’ Emails

NEW YORK — The following is a statement from Brian Hauss, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, in response to allegations from Project Veritas that prosecutors misled a federal court and sought unwarranted gag orders during a federal investigation of the group’s ties to the alleged theft of a diary belonging to President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley:

“We deplore Project Veritas’ deceptions, and we don’t have a full picture of the government’s investigation. But we’re concerned that the precedent set by this case could have serious consequences for press freedom. We’re deeply troubled by reports that the Department of Justice obtained secret electronic surveillance orders requiring sweeping disclosure of “all content” of communications associated with Project Veritas email accounts, including attorney-client communications.

“Compounding these concerns, the government suppressed information about the existence of the electronic surveillance orders even after the investigation became public knowledge and the district court appointed a special master to supervise prosecutors’ access to Project Veritas’ sensitive materials. The government must immediately suspend its review of the materials obtained pursuant to its electronic surveillance orders and fully disclose the extent of its actions, so that the court can consider appropriate relief.”