{"id":1840574,"date":"2023-02-09T07:35:49","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T12:35:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1840574"},"modified":"2023-02-09T08:57:34","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T13:57:34","slug":"report-claims-james-okeefe-was-placed-on-paid-leave-from-project-veritas-stripped-of-all-authority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-claims-james-okeefe-was-placed-on-paid-leave-from-project-veritas-stripped-of-all-authority\/","title":{"rendered":"Report Claims James O&#8217;Keefe Was Placed on Paid Leave From Project Veritas, Stripped of All Authority"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Freport-claims-james-okeefe-was-placed-on-paid-leave-from-project-veritas-stripped-of-all-authority%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1840574&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cldw1z3da000j0ilvbmbmsjca@published\" data-word-count=\"41\">James O\u2019Keefe, the founder and chairman of <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/project-veritas-james-okeefe-ashley-biden-diary.html\">Project Veritas<\/a>According to current and former employees, he took a paid leave from conservative media group as the board considered whether to remove him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cldw5v3h600123b6va4xwgioc@published\" data-word-count=\"178\">An internal message was sent to <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/2021\/11\/fbi-probes-project-veritas-over-ashley-bidens-stolen-diary.html\">Project Veritas<\/a> employees by the organization\u2019s executive director, Daniel Strack, said that O\u2019Keefe would be taking \u201ca few weeks of well-deserved PTO.\u201d An image of the message was shared by a source familiar with the organization\u2019s internal operations, and its authenticity was confirmed by a current employee. When reached for comment on his personal cell phone, O\u2019Keefe said nothing in response and did not respond to follow-up calls and text messages. Strack released a statement for Project Veritas through a spokesperson. \u201cLike all newsrooms at this stage, the Project Veritas Board of Directors and Management are constantly evaluating what the best path forward is for the organization,\u201d The statement was read in part. It did not directly address questions about O\u2019Keefe\u2019s employment status. \u201cThere are 65+ employees at Project Veritas dedicated to continuing the mission to expose corruption, dishonesty, waste, fraud, and other misconduct in both public and private institutions,\u201d The statement was read. \u201cTo our supporters: We hear you, we care about you, and we will never give up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cldw5v3i700133b6vewho07li@published\" data-word-count=\"130\">O\u2019Keefe is his organization\u2019s guiding ideological force and onscreen face, but his status as its day-to-day manager has become uncertain <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/project-veritas-james-okeefe-ashley-biden-diary.html\">There are reports of internal turmoil<\/a>There have been lawsuits filed by former employees and leaks about its internal workings. A federal investigation was also launched into its purchase of a diary. <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/2022\/08\/pair-pleads-guilty-to-stealing-biden-daughters-diary.html\">Ashley Biden stole the idea<\/a>, the president\u2019s daughter. Strack\u2019s internal message to employees made reference to what he called \u201ca distracting time\u201d He stated that the board had met to discuss this matter. \u201cthe health of the organization\u201d All the while \u201cwe have not come up with final solutions yet we have made a few immediate decisions.\u201d The message said two top Project Veritas executives, including the nonprofit\u2019s chief financial officer, had been \u201creinstated.\u201d Multiple sources said that the pair had recently been fired by O\u2019Keefe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cldw5v3wb00143b6vx56dmrs9@published\" data-word-count=\"152\">A meeting of the Project Veritas board is scheduled for Friday, when O\u2019Keefe\u2019s potential removal is set to be discussed, according to one source familiar with the matter. The source said that Project Veritas was currently divided between a group of employees who are perceived to be loyal to O\u2019Keefe, including his communications adviser, R.C. Maxwell, and the board, which has been dissatisfied with what it perceives as O\u2019Keefe\u2019s mismanagement. Matthew Tyrmand, a conservative journalist who serves on Project Veritas\u2019 board, said he was about to walk into a meeting and could not talk when reached on his cell phone on Wednesday. When asked specifically if O\u2019Keefe was being ousted, he replied: \u201cI just said I was walking into a meeting and this was not the appropriate time. What don\u2019t you understand about that?\u201d His phone calls were not returned. Two other board members didn&#8217;t respond to phone calls.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cldw5v41a00153b6vstf2yxwd@published\" data-word-count=\"144\">As rumors of O\u2019Keefe\u2019s potential ouster circulated among his friends and enemies on Wednesday, his usually pugnacious Twitter and Instagram accounts were silent. Project Veritas continued to promote the organization\u2019s latest stings, including a series of hidden-camera videos that captured a Pfizer scientist discussing what Project Veritas described as dangerous gain-of-function research related to COVID vaccines. (\u201cPfizer has not conducted gain of function or directed evolution research,\u201d The pharmaceutical company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pfizer.com\/news\/announcements\/pfizer-responds-research-claims\">Responded<\/a> In a statement made after the videos were published. One video in the series culminated with a physical altercation between O\u2019Keefe and the Pfizer employee. In another video, posted in late January, O\u2019Keefe accosted an investigative reporter for the New York<em> Times<\/em>Adam Goldman, whose name has been featured in multiple stories on the Biden-diary Case. \u201cLook how scared he is,\u201d O\u2019Keefe says in the videos, as Goldman holds up an iPhone to record their interaction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cldw5v42900163b6v9v5iyjci@published\" data-word-count=\"32\">\u201cI\u2019m an investigative reporter, unlike you, you\u2019re a government stooge,\u201d O\u2019Keefe says and tauntingly calls Goldman a \u201cpunk\u201d You can also find out more about a \u201cFed-boy!\u201d (From <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/willsommer\/status\/1618409372291600384\">Goldman\u2019s Side view of the camera<\/a>, O\u2019Keefe looks even more hostile.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cldw5v46b00173b6vx8jbyuvy@published\" data-word-count=\"165\">Even as O\u2019Keefe continued his confrontational act, long-standing infighting at the Project Veritas headquarters in Mamaroneck was coming to a head. Over the dozen years since he founded the nonprofit in a carriage house behind his parents\u2019 home in suburban Westwood, New Jersey, the group has grown from a shoestring YouTube prank operation into a large, ideologically driven news organization with an annual operating budget of more than $20 million. But former employees describe O\u2019Keefe as an erratic and often angry boss. According to a letter dated February 6, which was circulated by Project Veritas staff who were critical of O\u2019Keefe\u2019s management, he \u201cberated\u201d\u00a0and fired the organization\u2019s CFO, Tom O\u2019Hara, and its chief strategy officer, Barry Hinckley. Hinckley wrote later a message to staff, stating that he was sorry. \u201cstood up to a bully\u201d He had also lost his job. The letter included an 11-page list of testimonials from anonymous current employees, describing O\u2019Keefe, in the words of one, as a \u201cpower drunk tyrant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cldw5v47i00183b6vzikc4gqo@published\" data-word-count=\"26\">Even many of O\u2019Keefe\u2019s enemies wondered, however, if his organization could survive without him as its leader. \u201cQuite frankly, he\u2019s the company,\u201d One former employee stated this.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cldw5v48m00193b6vvuroo3al@published\" data-word-count=\"5\"><em>This is an evolving story.<\/em><\/p>\n<aside class=\"related related-count-1\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/related\/instances\/cldw1zs1v001x3b6vzrjmny9y@published\" data-track-type=\"article-list\"><\/aside>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; James O\u2019Keefe, the founder and chairman of Project VeritasAccording to current and former employees, he took a paid leave from conservative media group as the board considered whether to remove him. An internal message was sent to Project Veritas employees by the organization\u2019s executive director, Daniel Strack, said that O\u2019Keefe would be taking \u201ca &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1898394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Report Claims James O&#8217;Keefe Was Placed on Paid Leave From Project Veritas, Stripped of All Authority","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[11987,4856,5334,4591,15732,9413,4146,3819,17738,6408],"class_list":["post-1840574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report","tag-authority","tag-claims","tag-james","tag-leave","tag-okeefe","tag-paid","tag-project","tag-report","tag-stripped","tag-veritas"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Report Claims James O&#8217;Keefe Was Placed on Paid Leave From Project Veritas, Stripped of All Authority","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1840574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840574\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1898394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1840574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1840574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1840574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}