Project Veritas

The former Wall Street trader has been accused by some of leading a coup to remove the organization's founder, James O'Keefe.

In Poland, I love women and I drink mad dogs [a fortified wine]." According to his LinkedIn profile, he attended Midwood High School in Brooklyn, New York, before studying at the University of Chicago. Tyrmand was also fingered as leading the alleged coup by Alex Bruesewitz, a conservative political strategist. Newsweek has contacted O'Keefe for comment on the allegations. George Skakel was identified by Intelligencer as another long-serving board member. [claimed](https://twitter.com/OldRowSwig/status/1623528205511700480) Tyrmand was the "ringleader" in a "coup" that led to the ousting of O'Keefe.

Journalist James O'Keefe of Project Veritas was forced out by the board, and some conservatives wonder what the future holds for him.

[selling](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/25/guilty-trafficking-ashley-biden-diary-00053770) First Daughter Ashley Biden’s diary to the group. [[RELATED: Pfizer Director of Research Freaks Out After Spilling Virus Secrets in 2nd Project Veritas Undercover Video…]](https://www.themainewire.com/2023/01/pfizer-veritas-okeefe-virus-vaccine/) [eaten](https://www.thedailybeast.com/james-okeefe-outright-cruel-to-project-veritas-employees-internal-memo) a pregnant woman’s sandwich. During his farewell video, O’Keefe recounted some of what he has been through over the course of the organization’s work to get subjects to reveal to hidden cameras things they wouldn’t otherwise say publicly. [[RELATED: Pfizer Director of Research Spills Virus, Vaccine Secrets in Project Veritas Undercover Video…]](https://www.themainewire.com/2023/01/pfizer-director-of-research-spills-virus-vaccine-secrets-in-project-veritas-undercover-video/) Two potential reasons for this include the recent recording of a Pfizer executive boasting how his pharmaceutical giant boss is allegedly [mutating](https://www.newsweek.com/project-veritas-covid-mutations-pfizer-fact-check-1776845) the COVID-19 virus to generate more business for itself, and what some staff complaints claim was O’Keefe [becoming](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/20/us/politics/james-okeefe-project-veritas.html) a “power-drunk tyrant” who overspent on luxuries.

Project Veritas, the right-wing organization known for its undercover sting operations, has split with James O'Keefe, the group's founder and chairman, ...

The group’s executive director, Daniel Strack, informed some staff on Monday that O’Keefe had issued an ultimatum demanding that the board of directors resign as a condition for him to stay, according to people familiar with Strack’s account. Maxwell, a spokesman for Project Veritas, Project Veritas, the right-wing organization known for its undercover sting operations, has split with James O’Keefe, the group’s founder and chairman, following a bitter management dispute that pulled back the curtain on allegations of workplace misconduct and mismanagement of donor money.

Kirk: “When you're dealing with somebody as impactful, as effective, as hardworking as James O'Keefe, the standard and or the bar to remove such an ...

This is a shame and I'm not going to lay off of this. And I refuse to believe, unless there was a felony that was committed – which I have zero evidence, by the way. The most successful story in Project Veritas history was the Pfizer story and four days later an emergency board meeting was called and all the stuff starts to come. Well, he was mean or he had a bunch of his staff go to one of his dancing performances of Oklahoma. There's a couple angles I want to explore with you here, and then we'll get back to Ukraine. We will soon learn whether or not he has resigned or whether or not he was fired or terminated by the board.

In a video, O'Keefe said he was leaving his group, known for hidden-camera efforts to embarrass journalists, after the board of directors removed his power.

Project Veritas, which identifies itself as a news organization, is best known for its hidden camera stings that have embarrassed news outlets, labor organizations and Democratic politicians. In remarks that appeared to have been made at a Project Veritas' office, O'Keefe said the board had stripped him of all decision-making. "So currently, I have no job at Project Veritas," O'Keefe said in the video.

James O'Keefe was always a theater kid, and after years of making things up, it's finally brought him down. He's being fired from his own Project Veritas ...

The board cited as one example $14,000 that it said Mr. "Currently, I have no job at Project Veritas. The group's board later issued a statement saying that a preliminary review "indicates that James has spent an excessive amount of donor funds in the last three years on personal luxuries" and that more was being uncovered as the review continued.

The sudden departure of the organization's founder and CEO appears to have prompted a mass exodus of its social-media following.

In a statement about the video, Pfizer denied undertaking gain of function or direct evolution research. In a statement the same day, the board of directors said: "Today, James O'Keefe decided to remove his belongings from Project Veritas headquarters. and global regulators" and carried out by "many companies and academic institutions." [James O'Keefe, the company's now-former chief, was taking paid leave](https://www.newsweek.com/project-veritas-james-okeefe-suspended-paid-leave-1780126). These included a $14,000 flight to meet someone about fixing his boat and more than $150,000 on cars in the last 18 months. Fact-checkers, including those at Newsweek, found that the Pfizer employee Founded by O'Keefe in 2011, the group describes itself as a "non-profit journalism enterprise." "I have no position here based upon what the board has done. This was "required by U.S. [was speaking ](https://www.newsweek.com/project-veritas-covid-mutations-pfizer-fact-check-1776845) [onl](https://www.newsweek.com/project-veritas-covid-mutations-pfizer-fact-check-1776845)y [theoretically](https://www.newsweek.com/project-veritas-covid-mutations-pfizer-fact-check-1776845). The Twitter account had boasted nearly 1.5 million followers on February 8. "So, currently, I have no job at Project Veritas," O'Keefe said.

"I don't build in order to have donors, I have donors in order to build" O'Keefe said, quoting the fictional architect Howard Roark.

[says the IRS](https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations/exemption-requirements-501c3-organizations)—or engage in political dealings and, in exchange, Project Veritas does not have to pay federal income taxes or disclose its donors. [placed on paid leave](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/02/james-okeefe-project-veritas-paid-leave.html) from Project Veritas earlier this month following his decision to fire the CFO of the group, Tom O’Hara, which the board says in its statement is against Project Veritas bylaws. [The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/21/james-okeefe-project-veritas-irs-nonprofit/) obtained an internal memo sent to Project Veritas employees from the board following O’Keefe’s departure, which read that the board was seemingly nervous over how O’Keefe’s spending might threaten Project Veritas’ designation with the IRS. [Project Veritas](https://gizmodo.com/report-fbi-raids-two-locations-linked-to-project-verit-1848007049) is known for its high-profile and more-than-questionable investigations into progressive groups, journalists, and companies. [uploaded to Vimeo](https://vimeo.com/800604525/fe482c1859) by Project Veritas. The decision came from board members who claim that “James has spent an excessive amount of donor funds in the last three years on personal luxuries,” according to [a statement](https://www.projectveritas.com/news/statement-from-the-project-veritas-board-of-directors/), and that an internal review of his leadership is ongoing.