Shelby Talcott on November 6, 2019
ABC News has launched an investigation to determine who leaked the video of anchor Amy Robach alleging that the network killed her story on Jeffrey Epstein, it said in a statement Wednesday.
Robach was caught on camera alleging that the network killed her interview with Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre, according to a video Project Veritas released Tuesday. The anchor said Buckingham Palace threatened ABC News after finding out Prince Andrew was a part of the story and added that she “had all of” the reporting years ago. Epstein was accused of sex trafficking children.
“I’ve had this story for three years,” Robach said in the video. “I tried for three years to get it on to no avail, and now it’s all coming out and it’s like these new revelations. And I freaking had all of it. I’m so pissed right now.”
ABC News is trying to determine who leaked the video to Project Veritas, according to a statement from the outlet, journalist Yashar Ali wrote Wednesday.
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“We take violations of company policy very seriously, and we’re pursuing all avenues to determine the source of the leak,” a spokesperson for ABC News said according to Ali.
ABC News also allegedly knows the former employee who had access to the video of Robach, two sources with knowledge of the situation told Ali. The outlet is still unsure if that person leaked the footage to Project Veritas or if they shared it with others who leaked it.
The former employee is now allegedly working at CBS News, the sources said, according to Ali. CBS News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
4. As I noted in this thread, ABC News has confirmed they're conducting an investigation into the leak.
In response to an email, CBS News says they're declining to comment for this story. https://t.co/OHEoyahppY
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) November 6, 2019
The outlet has denied killing the story due to pressure from powerful individuals and said Tuesday that “not all of our reporting met our standards to air,” adding that “we have never stopped investigating the story.” ABC News said it has a team dedicated to investigating the allegations against Epstein and that there will be “a two-hour documentary and 6-part podcast that will air in the new year.”
Robach released a statement Tuesday contradicting her previous comments after the footage was released. Robach attributed to the camera moment as “a private moment of frustration” and said the interview with Giuffre “didn’t air because we could not obtain sufficient corroborating evidence to meet ABC’s standards.”
Authorities arrested Epstein on accusations of child sex-trafficking in July. He died of an apparent suicide while in a Manhattan jail cell on Aug. 10, although many have questioned whether his death was really a suicide.
ABC News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
