Conflict As James O’Keefe Suspended At Project Veritas

Conservative juggernaut Project Veritas has been swamped by scandal, and its aftermath led to founder James O’Keefe being suspended with pay and stripped of his position.

According to an anonymous whistleblower, O’Keefe was ousted by a pair of ringleaders, Matt Tyrmand and Barry Hinckley. The source described the decisive meeting of the board and subsequent decision as a “Stalinesque kangaroo court trial.”

Project Veritas has been at the forefront of cutting-edge journalism for years, and the effort used undercover video to expose much of the radical left’s dirty laundry. Recently its work has largely centered on pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

The company was recently on a roll, having been reinstated on Twitter and expanding its platform through its exposure of corruption at Pfizer. Many in conservative circles feel strongly that O’Keefe is Project Veritas and Project Veritas is O’Keefe.

One of those voices is Candace Owens of the Daily Wire. The popular commentator flatly stated, “There is no Project Veritas without James O’Keefe.”

Owens said she has donated money to the cause, and “money and supporters will follow James.”

The organization’s executive director, Daniel Strack, merely announced in an internal company message that the founder is taking “a few weeks of well-deserved” paid time off.

He added that the 65+ company employees are “dedicated to continuing to expose corruption, dishonesty, waste, fraud, and other misconduct.” How much the group would be able to carry on that function without O’Keefe on board is up in the air.

Some leftist outlets place blame on O’Keefe’s alleged “mistreatment” of employees, though a complaint was only signed by one-third of the staff. Some have said that he carried out what amounted to “public crucifixions” and has required lie detector tests.

His defenders admit that he is a tough boss who demands results but point to those results as proof that his management style works. The board, however, reversed some of his decisions and reportedly rehired a pair of executives O’Keefe had dismissed.

The success of Project Veritas is unquestioned, and most attribute that to O’Keefe’s leadership. It is disheartening to see this conflict in such a prominent conservative organization, and patching up differences would mean more outstanding work exposing the hypocrisy of the left.