Project Veritas is understood for its bombshell exposes, however a pair of startling disclosures noticed the undercover journalism outfit making as a substitute of breaking the information.
Founder James O’Keefe, who was pressured out by the board in February, is below investigation by the Westchester County district lawyer in New York for undisclosed causes, a probe that comes after Project Veritas accused him of spending donor funds on private luxuries.
The report, which first appeared Friday in The Nation, coincided with Project Veritas shedding staffers in response to flagging fundraising spurred by the firing of the charismatic O’Keefe, who had change into synonymous with the group that he based in 2010.
Project Veritas CEO Hannah Giles, who took over in June, stated Friday that “leadership determined that the time had come for an organizational reset.”
“Layoffs were a difficult, but necessary, decision to maintain the long-term sustainability of Project Veritas after six months of false narratives surrounding James’ choice to leave Project Veritas significantly impacted donations,” Ms. Giles instructed The Washington Times. “It is our hope that truth-seeking donors will reengage in the Veritas mission of investigative journalism that exposes corruption and brings transparency to the American people.”
Her assertion got here a day after a tweet appeared on the group’s account saying “SOS Hannah Giles just fired us all.” The tweet was rapidly deleted.
“The board and I have taken the steps necessary to ensure that Project Veritas will be here to challenge the narrative, expose corruption, and hold the powerful accountable on behalf of the American people for years to come,” stated Ms. Giles in her assertion. “Our commitment to follow the story, work harder, go deeper, and inform the public of what we find has never been stronger.”
Project Veritas sued Mr. O’Keefe in May for breach of contract, saying he “engaged in a campaign to disparage Project Veritas to its donors and solicit them to donate to OMG,” or the O’Keefe Media Group, his newly launched outlet.
The lawsuit filed in federal courtroom in New York additionally accused him of partaking in private and monetary misconduct, saying he used donor funds for “lavish expenses” reminiscent of $150,000 for personal vehicles and a $10,000 helicopter flight “without a clear benefit to Project Veritas.”
A spokesperson confirmed Friday that the Westchester County DA is “looking into” issues regarding Mr. O’Keefe, the Associated Press reported.
O’Keefe lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman pointed the finger at “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.”
“We were told by the new Project Veritas CEO that the investigation had ended,” Mr. Lichtman instructed the AP. “If it’s not, we will crush it in court.”
Ms. Giles denied the declare, saying “Project Veritas did not initiate any potential investigation the Westchester DA’s office may be conducting with respect to James O’Keefe. However, PV cooperates with the authorities as required by law.”
Ms. Giles and Mr. O’Keefe go approach again: They posted as a prostitute and pimp in a 2009 undercover video probe that led to the shuttering of the left-tilting Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now [ACORN].
Since Mr. O’Keefe’s departure, Project Veritas has struggled regardless of persevering with to “break stories that much of the mainstream media won’t touch,” stated Ms. Giles.
“In recent weeks, we have exposed massive corruption in New York City’s migrant care contracting, authenticated Ashley Biden’s shocking diary of alleged disgusting behavior by the President, and revealed hundreds of secret Chinese government documents uncovering their plan for developing biotech, military tech, and more – at the expense of Americans,” she stated.
Project Veritas is understood for its hidden-camera stings of sometimes left-of-center targets, together with labor unions, media corporations and Democratic operatives.
Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com