Westchester Based News site gets ABC Clip from Whistle blower
By Dan Murphy
Three years ago, an undercover employee -journalist for Project Veritas, a Westchester based conservative investigative media website (projectveritas.com) walked into the Yonkers Federation of Teachers offices and claimed to have verbally assaulted a student in the Yonkers Public Schools while working as a teacher.
The leaders of the YFT went on to tell that supposed teacher to “take a few weeks off and disappear,” in order to avoid termination or serious disciplinary action. It turns out that the undercover employee had fabricated the incident and his employment in the Yonkers Public Schools, but also video taped the discussions with the President and VP of the YFT.
That was my first interaction with Project Veritas and its sometimes-controversial leader James O’Keefe. To some, O’Keefe’s undercover, ‘gotcha’ journalism is not appreciated nor respected, but to others, including this reporter, if O’Keefe and Project Veritas can find wrongdoing, or in some way act as a media whistleblower that uncovers embarrassing truths, we welcome it.
And the fact that Project Veritas has offices in Mamaroneck, here in Westchester, should make O’Keefe and his website a local media phenomenon. But, in the middle of deep- blue NY State, most conservative journalists like O’Keefe, who seems to target liberal and progressive organizations like Planned Parenthood and CNN, he gets little respect or notice.
But on the national stage, O’Keefe can be found on Fox News when he lands an interesting story and catches someone on video saying things they shouldn’t be saying to anyone, let alone the seemingly innocent total stranger that they have met in the bar or coffee shop.
The latest story that has once again launched O’Keefe and Project Veritas into the spotlight and on the national news concerns Jeffrey Epstein. Veritas landed a ‘hot mike’ , off air, video tape by ABC news correspondent Amy Robach, complaining about how her information on Epstein 3 years ago was squashed and she was not allowed to expose the man we now know, who has sex with underage girls for decades before dying in a NYC prison, allegedly by suicide.
Project Veritas writes, “Amy Robach, ‘Good Morning America’ Co-Host and Breaking News Anchor at ABC, explains how a witness came forward years ago with information pertaining to Epstein, but Disney-owned ABC News refused to air the material for years. Robach vents her anger in a “hot mic” moment with an off-camera producer, explaining that ABC quashed the story in its early stages. “I’ve had this interview with Virginia Roberts (Now Virginia Guiffre) [alleged Epstein victim]. We would not put it on the air. Um, first of all, I was told “Who’s Jeffrey Epstein. No one knows who that is. This is a stupid story.”
“She continues, “The Palace found out that we had her whole allegations about Prince Andrew and threatened us a million different ways.” Robach goes on to express she believes that Epstein was killed in prison saying, “So do I think he was killed? 100% Yes, I do…He made his whole living blackmailing people… Yup, there were a lot of men in those planes. A lot of men who visited that Island, a lot of powerful men who came into that apartment.”
“Robach repeats a prophetic statement purportedly made by Attorney Brad Edwards “…[T]here will come a day when we will realize Jeffrey Epstein was the most prolific pedophile this country has ever known,” and Disgustedly Robach states “I had it all three years ago,” writes Veritas.
ABC responded by stating that Robach’s story didn’t meet their journalistic standards. But their zeal in pursuing the story that Veritas broke was only focused on who leaked the video showing a relaxed Robach venting her frustration that she had the story and how airing that story three years ago that could have changed history Robach’s comments also point to a belief by many that Epstein did not take his life in his NYC prison cell this summer. Her account provides insight from someone who conducted firsthand interviews with Epstein accusers but had her story shelved.
After the story broke, ABC tipped off CBS about a former ABC employee who was now working for CBS, who they believed had leaked the Robach video. CBS then fired that employee, Ashley Bianco, who then went on Instagram with Megan Kelly to say that she did not leak the video and was fired for no reason. “I’m not the whistleblower,” said Bianco.
Bianco created the video clip as a producer for ABC but did not leak the video. It turns out that Bianco was telling the truth, because O’Keefe stated he did not get the video from her and someone else has now come forward to anonymously confess that they had leaked the video.
Ignotus writes, “To Amy Robach: You are the only person deserving of an apology. I am most certainly sorry. Not for my actions or for this to center around you, but for what is clear to have happened. ..I cannot imagine doing all the hard work to only have it shelved.”
“To ABC News: I sit right here with you all in complete shock. I, like many, are at a loss for words on how this has been handled. Instead of addressing this head-on like the company has in the past, it has spun into a mission of seek-and-destroy. Innocent people that have absolutely nothing to do with this are being hunted down as if we are all a sport. I challenge all of you to actually look inwards and remember why this company engages in journalism. I went to Project Veritas for the sole reason that any other media outlet else would have probably shelved this as well. I thank all of them, and James, for seeking truth.”
The fact that Bianco called the individual who leaked the video “the Whistleblower” is also interesting. In today’s hyper-partisan political climate, there seems to be a tendency to pick and choose which whistleblower fits your politics. Some don’t like Ed Snowden and believe he was a traitor; others appreciate the Trump whistleblower for coming forward to expose the phone call between the President and the President of the Ukraine. But they are all trying to accomplish the same goal; to expose something that they believe the American people deserve to see or hear.
I’m sure we will hear from James O’Keefe again, even if you don’t watch Fox News. Westchester based Project Veritas will break another story that will force the mainstream media to put it on their newscast, podcast, or blog.
