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EXCLUSIVE: Leaked email shows Project Veritas begging donors to stay after removing James O'Keefe
The Post Millenial ^ | 02/22/2023 | Libby Emmons and Jack Posobiec

Posted on 02/22/2023 7:46:06 PM PST by SeekAndFind

An email obtained by The Post Millennial shows that Project Veritas has reached out to donors to ask them to stay with the company despite founder and CEO James O'Keefe having been pushed out by the board of directors. Project Veritas is a not-for-profit operating entirely on the generosity of donors.

"We hope that you might continue to give us a chance," the email says, pleading with donors. "We can't stress how separate the board's role is from daily operations here at PV. We are still grinding and pursuing stories of great public importance."

The email, sent by Bethany Rolando, who was one of the 16 signers of a letter sent to the Board of Directors reporting personal grievances against O'Keefe, offers the subject line "Update: We hold everyone accountable, especially ourselves."

"We understand and share your frustrations," the email reads. "We all love and respect James and hope he returns. This is difficult for everyone."

The email states that "an independent two-dimensional audit is being arranged" to determine if financial wrong-doing has taken place, and if O'Keefe had broken administrative procedure.

These issues include "Breaking the Bylaws of the organization by unilaterally dismissing the CFO and co-opting another board member's vote by saying that board member supported the dismissal," noting that this second Board member "did not." 

One of the issues listed in the letter from those 16 staffers to the board was that O'Keefe had fired the CFO without board oversight. "Most recently," that letter of February 6 read, "the treatment of Barry Hinckley and Tom O’Hara. These 2 highly respected individuals did what they thought was right for the betterment of the organizaion and got berated in public on Tuesday and effectively terminated by Thursday."

Other statements also site professional relationships that apparently soured between O'Keefe and others, including an instance where O'Keefe called Spencer Meads a "pussy."

Also listed in the email to donors, as a matter for the "independent two-dimensional audit," is whether O'Keefe used "donations for private benefit." In a statement from the board on February 20, concerns over O'Keefe's spending were brought to the fore. Among these were staff morale and what the board claims were excessive expenditures.

"The board included this in its statement what it is aware of so far which clearly warrants this internal audit to ensure your hard-earned, and graciously donated, money is utilized appropriately." The email states that they "hope to know more details around this soon."

They also list concerns "with employment laws/workplaces safety regarding appropriate treatment of the employees was based, in part, on his interaction with senior staff in a Leadership call on January 31, 2023."

Apparently, after this single phone call, "Staff across multiple departments were ready to leave PV immediately if his conduct remained unaddressed."

The email offers that "over the last seven years," the company saw turnover of 140 employees, noting that they either quit or were fired, and that due to 20 of those employees having been in managerial roles, that lead "to potential succession plan issues" that threatened "the long-term viability of the company."

Which leads to O'Keefe. The email to major donors assures them that he was not removed, due to the fact that "he specifically said he did not resign, and the board did not fire him." Instead, they noted that he was placed on "temporary suspension until the audit was completed."

After 16 staffers sent a letter to the board detailing their concerns over O'Keefe's behavior, including an allegation that he once stole a sandwich from a pregnant woman, the board convened a meeting to determine O'Keefe's future with the company he founded.

O'Keefe responded to the board, and the staffers, in his own letter, demanding that the Board resign.

"I asked the board to resign for their conduct-- they did not. So currently, I have no position at PV based on the board's actions. So, I'm announcing to you all that today on President's day — I'm packing up my personal effects from headquarters, and I'm intending to start anew," O'Keefe said.

"The board placed him on a temporary suspension until the audit was completed," the email reads, "The board wanted him to delegate management of staff to the department heads so he can focus his true talent, efforts, and best use of his time on the journalism/stories and less on the day-to-day personnel management."

"He has been invited, but has chosen not to, engage in conversations with the board and management following steps taken so far wiht the goal of returning to Project Veritas."

"Instead," the email goes on, "he requested no change in authority and that mose of the officers and all of the board of directors immediately resign."

Project Veritas then appeals to the donors, saying that staff and board efforts at Project Veritas "remail passionately dedicated to James' mission," and that they "cannot control online narratives, and unfortunately cannot chime in to individually defend ourselves in the public sphere at present, we can sure you," it goes on to say, "we remain steadfast and determined to expose corruption."

The email notes that the work of Veritas continues, even if it has not gotten nearly the traction it did under O'Keefe's leadership. The latest expose picks up on the work that immediately precipitated the internal strife between O'Keefe and the board.

Prior to O'Keefe's departure, Veritas' reporting would be shared far and wide over social media with the "Veritas Army," made up of donors and supporters who shared the work on social media. Much of this method of distribution came about because O'Keefe, and Project Veritas, were banned on Twitter.

After Elon Musk took over the platform in October, both O'Keefe and Veritas were restored. In recent days, as Veritas has sought to distance itself from the man who created it, "James O'Keefe is Project Veritas" began to trend on Twitter, and as Veritas hemorraghed Twitter followers, O'Keefe rapidly gained them, outstripping Veritas of its influence, and taking it for his own.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: barryhinckley; bethanyrolando; donations; jackposobiec; jamesokeefe; libbyemmons; meads; ohara; pferitas; pfizer; projectveritas; spencermeads; tomohara; twitter; veritas
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To: TakebackGOP

“ I think James is annoying.”

Are you the dude he called a pu$$y? If so, he was probably correct.


101 posted on 02/23/2023 9:39:22 AM PST by BlueMondaySkipper (Involuntarily subsidizing the parasite class since 1981)
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To: SeekAndFind

Some people just don’t function well with teams and organizational structures.


102 posted on 02/23/2023 9:45:45 AM PST by larrytown (A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do. Then they graduate...)
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To: SeekAndFind
Other statements also site professional relationships that apparently soured between O'Keefe and others, including an instance where O'Keefe called Spencer Meads a "pussy."

Apparently.

103 posted on 02/23/2023 10:13:23 AM PST by Albion Wilde ("There is no good government at all & none possible."--Mark Twain)
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To: BlueMondaySkipper

You would like someone playing a decoy to you on a date?


104 posted on 02/23/2023 10:15:43 AM PST by TakebackGOP
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To: TakebackGOP
I think James is annoying.

Oh, well, that settles it, then.

105 posted on 02/23/2023 10:17:13 AM PST by Albion Wilde ("There is no good government at all & none possible."--Mark Twain)
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To: TakebackGOP
You would like someone playing a decoy to you on a date?

If you're not plotting to help your employer profit obscenely by the destruction of your fellow humans, or weren't divulging company secrets in hopes of getting laid, you wouldn't have anything to worry about.

106 posted on 02/23/2023 10:40:34 AM PST by Albion Wilde ("There is no good government at all & none possible."--Mark Twain)
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To: Albion Wilde

That wasn’t the only one, and James is sleazy and goes after low level people. I believe the Pfizer guy that he was lying.


107 posted on 02/23/2023 10:43:02 AM PST by TakebackGOP
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To: CFW

“BEFORE they investigated and did an audit?”

I didn’t catch that. That would be an illegal termination then


108 posted on 02/23/2023 11:19:58 AM PST by CottonBall (“Fascism should be called corporatism because it is a merger of state & corporate power" - Mussolini)
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To: rlmorel

After I posted, I realized I had heard that story before. And I think even watched part of the video. I thought it was absolutely brilliant.

I don’t care who you are, you don’t fire a brilliant employee for any frivolous reason. The fact that he founded it, even more so. I look forward to PV going down the tubes and watching where O’Keefe emerges next. I will contribute to him as well.


109 posted on 02/23/2023 11:22:41 AM PST by CottonBall (“Fascism should be called corporatism because it is a merger of state & corporate power" - Mussolini)
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To: Albion Wilde

correct. these people he is going after would legitimately put you in a train car and take you to a camp to be re-educated if they could. do I care they get setup? not in the slightest.


110 posted on 02/23/2023 11:25:27 AM PST by russdawg
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To: SeekAndFind
Looked around but I'm pretty sure this is him on Facebook for those that might wish to follow him - he needs more friends.

;-)


https://www.facebook.com/JamesOKeefeIII


Not on Twitter, TruthSocial, or Substack
111 posted on 02/23/2023 11:44:36 AM PST by Tunehead54 (Nothing funny here ;-)
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To: Widget Jr

I just finished listening to James O’Keefe 45 minute farewell to his employees and what happened with the board. One of the board members actually told James they wouldn’t tell donors he was demoted, then kicked out. It’s within the first 10 minutes or so. That’s the type of people now in charge.


112 posted on 02/23/2023 12:16:12 PM PST by Betty Jane
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To: CottonBall

Me too...I think I understand James O’Keefe. He isn’t a huckster in it simply to get rich, though that helps.

My impression is he is a Patriot who wants to use visibility as a disinfectant to help cleanse the destructive vermin from our Republic.

If he gets wealthy doing it, I am all for it.


113 posted on 02/23/2023 12:27:23 PM PST by rlmorel ("If you think tough men are dangerous, just wait until you see what weak men are capable of." JBP)
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To: TakebackGOP

What’s your issue with that tactic? MISE.

Money
Ideology
Sex
Ego

These are the motives that move a person to treason.

There is almost no difference between what a real journalist does and what a spy does.


114 posted on 02/23/2023 12:31:57 PM PST by RinaseaofDs
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To: RinaseaofDs

He was walking around the DNC convention holding a poster of some woman. They are low level people.


115 posted on 02/23/2023 12:38:44 PM PST by TakebackGOP
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To: TakebackGOP

They being Veritas?

They’re low level people. Not the pedophiles or mass murders PV is trying to expose. Nope, they’re paragons of virtue.

Are you mad?


116 posted on 02/23/2023 1:04:41 PM PST by RinaseaofDs
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To: RinaseaofDs

It is sleazy and nothing happens from his videos, except the one Breitbart did.


117 posted on 02/23/2023 1:17:03 PM PST by TakebackGOP
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To: 17th Miss Regt

NOT only NO-—BUT HELL NO


118 posted on 02/23/2023 2:46:43 PM PST by ridesthemiles
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To: TakebackGOP

“ You would like someone playing a decoy to you on a date?”

I’m not hooking up with strangers, so that’s not likely to happen. I’m also not involved in corruption or crimes against humanity so there is no reason for anyone to attempt to do so if I were hooking up with strangers.

This is called journalism. It’s a long lost art that should be brought back. Reporters digging to get the real scoop on things that matter.

Meanwhile, you apparently would rather the truth didn’t come out. That’s nonsensical


119 posted on 02/23/2023 7:24:12 PM PST by BlueMondaySkipper (Involuntarily subsidizing the parasite class since 1981)
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To: BlueMondaySkipper

James is sleazy. This isn’t journalism. He is going after low-level people, then humiliating them by posting the videos on the internet. Nothing ever happens with these videos, except the ACORN one that Breitbart setup.


120 posted on 02/23/2023 7:31:44 PM PST by TakebackGOP
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