Overview

Ashley Biden's Stolen Diary refers to an incident in which a Florida woman stole the diary belonging to Ashley Biden, the daughter of United States President Joe Biden, and sold it to the conservative organization Project Veritas. The controversy surrounding the crime was first mentioned in November 2021 when the New York Times reported that the FBI raided the homes of Project Veritas employees as part of a Justice Department investigation into the theft and publication of the diary in October 2020. In August 2022, two Florida residents pleaded guilty to a scheme to peddle Ashley's diary and other items and, in April 2024, Aimee Harris, the woman who stole the diary, was sentenced to a month in prison. The news sparked a viral debate on Twitter / X, TikTok and other platforms regarding the leaked content from the diary, in particular, an unverified quote stating that Joe Biden "inappropriately" showered with his daughter.

Background

On October 24th, 2020, the right-wing website National File^[1] posted an exclusive story titled "Biden daughter’s diary details ‘not appropriate’ showers with Joe as child." The piece claimed a "whistleblower" (later revealed to be someone who worked at Project Veritas, which declined to publish the diary after purchasing it) had acquired a "copy of the complete diary of Ashley Blazer Biden," delving into purported topics of sexual and substance abuse, most notably a section in which she allegedly was having “showers with my dad” that were “probably not appropriate” (article excerpt shown below).

Patrick Howley, the journalist who wrote the article, posted on X^[2] on October 26th, 2020, that he would release the complete version of Ashley Biden's supposed diary (shown below), which amassed more than 2,000 likes and 799 retweets in four years.

The authenticity of the National File's claims about the diary and its contents has notably been questioned since the article's publication,^[9] with outlets such as Snopes^[10] rating the claims as "Unproven."

Developments

New York Times' Project Veritas Article

On November 5th, 2021, the New York Times^[3] exclusively revealed that the FBI carried out search warrants in New York as part of a Justice Department investigation into "how pages from Ashley Biden’s journal came to be published by a right-wing website."

Florida Duo Arrest In August 2022

On August 25th, 2022, Aimee Harris and Robert Kurlander, a Florida duo, pleaded guilty^[4] to stealing the diary and other items from President Joe Biden’s daughter and selling them to the conservative group Project Veritas for $40,000. The arrest fueled the speculation that the claims in Ashley Biden's diary were authentic, fueling online theories that she was abused by Joe Biden. However, many fact-checking sites have continuously reported that the contents and claims are unverified.^[11]

For instance, on August 25th, 2022, X^[5] user @camrynbaylee posted an alleged picture of the diary from the National File article (shown below), stating, "Ashley Biden’s leaked diary that detailed how Joe Biden took inappropriate showers with her when she was a child is confirmed as authentic." The post amassed more than 37,000 likes and 18,000 retweets in two years.

Aimee Harris' Sentence

On April 9th, 2024, Aimee Harris was sentenced to one month in prison and three years of probation for selling the diary of President Joe Biden’s daughter to Project Veritas in 2020. According to CNN,^[6] Harris stole Ashley's belongings in 2020 after she moved into a Delray Beach, Florida, home where "the daughter of the now-president had recently lived and temporarily stored some personal belongings."

Online Reactions

Since the National File's leaked pages from Ashley Biden's purported diary, many netizens have been using its contents to attack President Joe Biden's 2024 reelection campaign, accusing him of alleged inappropriate behavior with his daughter.

For example, on April 9th, 2024, the X^[7] conservative page @libsoftiktok posted a page of the diary with the caption "Joe Biden showered with his daughter. She felt it was 'probably not appropriate' and also questioned if she was m*lested." The post (shown below, left) amassed more than 28,000 likes and 11,000 retweets in four days.

On April 4th, X^[8] user @Hexakitty666 posted a drawing of the Dark Brandon meme in front of a shower with the quote "It's shower time Ashley," referencing the unverified claims of the National File article. The post (shown below, right) received roughly 50 likes and 30 retweets in a week.

Search Interest

External References