Judge rejects Project Veritas' 1st Amendment claim in Ashley Biden diary case

Context: Two Florida individuals pleaded guilty last year to transporting stolen property across state lines for their roles in selling the diary of President Biden's daughter to Project Veritas — a conservative group that has used clandestine methods such as hidden-camera videos to target officials, liberal groups and the news media, per the New York Times.

• The FBI searched the home of James O'Keefe, the former leader of Project Veritas who was ousted from the organization in February, and seized two of his mobile phones, per the court filing.
• The devices of two other Project Veritas members were also seized during the raids.

State of play: The documents that stem from the authorized November 2021 raids can be turned over to investigators by Jan. 5, according to the Dec. 21 ruling in Manhattan.

• Torres said in her decision that Project Veritas' First Amendment argument was "inconsistent with Supreme Court precedent."

• Jeffrey Lichtman, an attorney for Project Veritas, told AP this week that the group was considering appealing Torres' decision.

Of note: Project Veritas has not been charged with any crimes.

• The group maintains that it employs news gathering techniques and that its operatives work as journalists during stings.

Go deeper: Trump campaign rejected offer to buy Biden daughter's diary