Ashley Biden's diary was shopped around a Trump fundraiser in Florida before being purchased for $40,000 ahead of the 2020 election: report

According to a new report by The New York Times, a diary belonging to President Joe Biden's daughter was taken to a Florida event for Donald Trump two months before the 2020 election.

Based on interviews with people close to the situation and other documents, The Times pieced together a detailed timeline of how the diary ended up in the hands of Project Veritas, a conservative activist group known for conducting sting operations.

James O'Keefe, the group's founder, has acknowledged that the group is being investigated in connection to the diary of the vice president. The Times reported in November that federal investigators searched O'Keefe's home in connection to the diary.

The search and involvement with the diary was confirmed in a video statement shared by O'Keefe.

The Southern District of New York seems to have journalists in their sights for doing their jobs legally and honestly.

The diary was shown at the Bidens' September 2020 fundraiser, and Project Veritas called their daughter to verify its authenticity, according to sources familiar with the situation. A person with knowledge of the case told The Times that Project Veritas paid $40,000 to acquire the diary.

Project Veritas did not use illegal methods to get the diary. The group did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, but in a statement to The Times O'Keefe lambasted the outlet's reporting, saying: "Imagine writing so thoroughly divergent from reality and so mendacious with innuendo that there is."

A lawyer for Biden did not respond immediately.

Project Veritas sued the Times to stop it from publishing internal memos belonging to the group, which has implications for press freedom. The Times was barred from publishing the materials by a judge.