Ashley Bianco was fired by CBS News in November 2019, four days into a new job, after ABC News told CBS she had accessed and clipped internal footage of anchor Amy Robach complaining that the network had killed a 2015 interview with Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre. Bianco denied leaking the video, and Project Veritas, which published it, publicly said she was not the source.1The Hill. CBS Employee Fired for Leaking Robach Hot Mic Clip Denies She Leaked the Tape
How the Firing Happened
The Robach hot mic footage, recorded in a Times Square studio in late August 2019, sat unseen outside ABC until Project Veritas published it on November 5, 2019.2NBC News. ABC News’ Amy Robach Seen Complaining About Interview With Epstein Accuser Within days, ABC opened an internal investigation, reviewing staff emails, examining news logs, and questioning employees to find who had leaked it.3Page Six. ABC Scrambles to Figure Out Identity of Amy Robach Leaker
ABC determined that Bianco, a young producer who had recently left Good Morning America, had accessed the Robach footage in the network’s internal system. It then notified CBS News, where Bianco had just started a new role.4The Wrap. CBS News Producer Ashley Bianco Accused of Leak CBS fired her. She had been on the job four days.5Newsweek. Megyn Kelly ABC Producer Amy Robach Epstein Tape Interview
Journalist Yashar Ali reported that Bianco was not necessarily fired for leaking the footage to Project Veritas, but for the act of accessing and clipping the file within ABC’s system, a distinction Bianco disputed as routine producer work.5Newsweek. Megyn Kelly ABC Producer Amy Robach Epstein Tape Interview
What the Robach Video Contained
In the footage, Robach complained that she had tried for three years to air a 2015 interview with Virginia Giuffre in which Giuffre detailed allegations of sexual trafficking by Jeffrey Epstein involving Prince Andrew, former President Bill Clinton, and attorney Alan Dershowitz. Robach said she was told at the time the story was “stupid” because nobody knew who Epstein was, and alleged that Buckingham Palace had “threatened us a million different ways” after learning of the Prince Andrew allegations.6BBC News. ABC News Leak Raises Questions About Unaired Epstein Interview ABC denied that outside pressure had killed the story, saying the interview could not be sufficiently corroborated to meet its editorial standards.7Los Angeles Times. ABC News Denies That It Killed Jeffrey Epstein Report
Bianco’s Denial
On November 8, 2019, Bianco sat down with Megyn Kelly for her first extended public response. She acknowledged clipping the footage in ABC’s internal system, saving it to watch later, but said this was routine work: producers clipped video constantly, and the Robach hot mic moment was widely seen around the office because the feed went out to affiliates.8Deadline. Megyn Kelly Amy Robach ABC News CBS News
Asked directly whether she had leaked the tape, Bianco said, “I did not. No, ever.” She said the clip never left ABC’s internal system and that she had never heard of Project Veritas or James O’Keefe before the controversy.9The Hollywood Reporter. ABC News Employee Says She Didn’t Leak Amy Robach Video She described the firing as sudden, saying she was never given a chance to defend herself or even told what she was being accused of before being let go.1The Hill. CBS Employee Fired for Leaking Robach Hot Mic Clip Denies She Leaked the Tape
Bianco was 25 at the time. She told Kelly, “I just want my career back. I want people to know I didn’t do it,” and added, “I’ll never get a job anywhere else. It’s devastating.”10New York Daily News. Fired CBS Staffer Ashley Bianco Tells Megyn Kelly She’s No Leaker
Project Veritas Said She Wasn’t the Source
James O’Keefe publicly stated that Bianco was not the person who provided Project Veritas with the video and that the actual source was still employed at ABC News.1The Hill. CBS Employee Fired for Leaking Robach Hot Mic Clip Denies She Leaked the Tape
Shortly after Bianco’s firing, Project Veritas published an open letter from someone identifying themselves as the real leaker. The person used the pseudonym “Ignotus,” a character from the Harry Potter series and a Latin word meaning “unknown.” The letter said the insider was still working at the network.3Page Six. ABC Scrambles to Figure Out Identity of Amy Robach Leaker Project Veritas confirmed that “Ignotus” was the same person who had originally supplied the tape.11National Review. ABC Hunts for Amy Robach Video Leaker After Anonymous Letter No public identification of “Ignotus” has been confirmed in available reporting.
Possible Legal Claims Against ABC and CBS
Attorney Misty Marris, analyzing the situation on Fox Business, outlined several potential legal avenues. If CBS fired Bianco for cause based solely on ABC’s allegations without conducting its own investigation, she could have a breach of contract claim against CBS. If ABC gave CBS false information identifying her as the leaker, ABC could face liability for defamation. And if ABC intentionally induced CBS to terminate her employment without justification, she could have a tortious interference claim.12Fox Business. ABC News Fired Amy Robach Jeffrey Epstein Available reporting does not show that Bianco filed any such suit.
What Happened to Her Afterward
Before the firing, Bianco had worked as a field producer at NBC News in 2016 and then at ABC’s Good Morning America.5Newsweek. Megyn Kelly ABC Producer Amy Robach Epstein Tape Interview Congressional records indicate she later worked as a press secretary for Ohio’s 6th Congressional District from January through June 2024.13LegiStorm. Ashley Marie Bianco