Look who is out of business... Controversial right-wing group Project Veritas suspends all operations indefinitely, report says Project Veritas is known for its use of hidden cameras to discredit mainstream media organisations and progressive groups https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...itas-suspends-operations-report-b2415822.html Right-wing group Project Veritas has suspended all of its operations indefinitely, according to a report. The organisation, founded by James O’Keefe, shuttered operations after another round of layoffs this week, Mediaite reported. In a letter titled “Reduction in Force” sent to staffers on Wednesday, HR director Jennifer Kiyak wrote that “in the interest of preserving the possible future existence of Project Veritas we need to put operations on pause and, as communicated since the Spring, another Reduction in Force (“RIF”) is necessary”. Ms Kiyak said the organisation could not “carry the present staff count any longer”. Project Veritas had already laid off six staffers in the last week, leaving just 11 people on its payroll including CEO Hannah Giles, one source told Mediaite. Project Veritas was founded by Mr O’Keefe back in 2010, and is known for its use of hidden cameras to discredit mainstream media organisations and progressive groups. In February, Mr O’Keefe was forced out by the Project Veritas board over allegations that he mistreated workers and misspent organisation funds. The chairman and CEO was also accused of spending “an excessive amount of donor funds” on personal luxuries. Project Veritas later sued Mr O’Keefe in May, accusing him of breaching his contract with “incredibly troubling workplace and financial misconduct,” including screaming at colleagues, exposing employees to obscene messages and having staffers run errands for him, such as picking up laundry and cleaning his boat. Among Mr O’Keefe’s lavish spending, the organisation alleges, were: $10,000 for a helicopter flight from New York to Maine; more than $150,000 on private car services over an 18-month span; and expensive stays in luxury hotel suites while other employees were forced to stay in budget accommodations. Following Mr O’Keefe’s departure, the company’s fraught financial situation appeared to continue. Earlier this month, Ms Giles told an internal meeting the organisation was “bankrupt,” according to previous reports. Former lead investigative reporter with Project Veritas Bobby Harr, who was laid off this Wednesday, told Mediaite he was “confused” when he was officially laid off because he thought he was already let go last month. “I was confused by this as my job was actually cut during the first round of layoffs while I was on medical leave,” he said. Mr Harr blamed “lack of funding and poor management” which he said was “amplified by the damage” Mr O’Keefe did to the organisation. Meanwhile, former chief investigative journalist Christian Hartsock, who was laid off in August, told the outlet that he has “no idea what ‘operations’ there are to suspend” after production and journalism staff were laid off over a month ago”. Mr O’Keefe’s attorney Jeffrey Lichtman told Mediaite that the organisation’s demise after accusing him of misspending was “highly suspect”. “It appears that in the few months since Project Veritas ousted James, it continued to spend money at the same rate, blowing through the many millions of dollars James had previously raised for it — despite PV having no new sources of fundraising,” he said in a statement. “This is highly suspect and we would welcome a full audit of PV’s finances to learn where that money was actually spent.” Project Veritas’ suspension of operations comes one month after New York prosecutors announced that Mr O’Keefe was under investigation over his use of funds and treatment of staff. Mr O’Keefe’s lawyer responded by blaming the investigation on “disgruntled former employees of Project Veritas who had a problem with their CEO using too many car services to pay for fundraising efforts which paid their salaries”. Ms Giles told The Independent: “Project Veritas is continuing to operate, but due to various events and circumstances we are making changes in the operations of our organization including laying off additional employees. “Our hearts go out to our colleagues and their families as this difficult transition occurs, and we thank them for their dedication and hard work and hope for the best new opportunities for them. “We are pausing our fundraising efforts and proactively taking steps to honor our donors’ expectations and to preserve the trust the American people have placed in us. We are sincerely grateful for everyone who supports us in fulfilling our mission.”
Culture cancel minded employees attacked the company from inside Also, another reason never to make headquarters inside a blue state. especially if you are going after Liberals
Republicans are so far behind Democrats when it comes to effectively utilizing technology or protecting themselves legally from partisan prosecutor attacks, it seems. They need to figure out the environment and either adapt or die.
You are funny. Following O’Keefe’s attempt to unilaterally fire Veritas Chief Financial Officer Tom O’Hara, in contravention of the 501(c)3’s bylaws, and O’Keefe’s own surprise resignation this past February, the Veritas board published a preliminary tally of its former leader’s financial misdeeds. Pending a “third party investigative audit,” the board accused O’Keefe of spending “$14,000 on a charter flight to meet someone to fix his boat under the guise of meeting with a donor,” blowing over $150,000 on high-end limo services, and taking thousands of dollars more for personal DJ equipment. O’Keefe, they said, also requisitioned $60,000 for “dance events,” including the production of a semi-autobiographical pop music celebration of his life in muckraking: the Project Veritas Experience. Such self-indulgent expenditures would be what’s known within the Internal Revenue Code for tax-exempt 501(c)3s as “inurement.”
While I don't know anything about Project Veritas, the FBI regularly targeted Leftist groups when my mom was an activist. The FBI often was able to take over leadership of a group, which was what happened to a anti-food irradiation group she was aware of. After the takeover, the group no longer did anything noteworthy. The FBI sent two suits, twice, to our apartment in NYC when I was a child. Her phone was bugged after she called the mayor of New York to complain about something. Film footage of a Pentagon march was stolen, which she blamed on the FBI. My single mother was on welfare, although she did some freelance work, yet still was a target of the FBI. She did some film making in Cuba, which violated laws in both Cuba and the US, however. No criminal charges for her "civil disobedience" where ever filed. She may have been arrested for hitchhiking in the South, however. The lessons are, if you are going to participate in a organization that steps on establishment interests, there will be a price to pay. There will be surveillance, an effort to discredit the founder or the organization itself, and if the organization has weak command and control, risks getting taken over. If any member does anything illegal, that will be leveraged to damage the reputation of the organization. It did seem the FBI tended to adhere to a ruleset that usually at worst went into grey areas. I imagine the gloves could potentially come off for very dangerous organizations. When reading about an organization that got discredited, remember not all reported is necessarily as it seems. You used the word "Scam". I have one for you, AOL. A little homework and some critical thinking will open your eyes how far our law enforcement agencies will go, including utilizing the media, to perpetuate one of their "Operations".
Yeah, no, O'Keefe is a weirdo dancing narcissist and of course he abused the finances. COINTELPRO was disbanded in the 1970s and you are too young however a paranoid delusional son has a good chance of a paranoid delusional mother. There is a significant genetic component plus: Environmental stressors, such as trauma or abuse Certain mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder Substance abuse