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American political activist James O'Keefe, the founder of the conservative watchdog group Project Veritas, took paid leave after his leadership position came under skepticism from its board members.
According to a report published by the NY Mag on February 8, 2023, Project Veritas' executive director Daniel Strack sent out an internal message to the organization's staff stating that the 38-year-old would be “a few weeks of well-deserved PTO.”
Another statement released by Strack read:
“Like all newsrooms at this stage, the Project Veritas Board of Directors and Management are constantly evaluating what the best path forward is for the organization."
An internal memo obtained by The Daily Beast revealed that James O'Keefe has been considered to be removed from the position of the chairman following a slew of complaints made by his employees and donors for his “outright cruel” behavior.
James O'Keefe did not treat his employees right
As per the memo obtained by The Daily Beast, the employees at Project Veritas alleged that working with James O'Keefe could lead to “public crucifixion" and being “publicly humiliated” by him.
According to one of the employees who called him a "power-drunk tyrant," the workers at the non-profit could also be required to undergo lie detector tests. Another incident claims that James once took a sandwich from an eighth-month-pregnant woman just because he was hungry.
Detailing an incident from September 2022, when James O'Keefe lost against a Democratic consulting firm, an employee alleged:
“I was yelled at in front of jurors because he was hungry and then he took the 8-month pregnant woman’s sandwich.”
In the memo, employees also pointed out that O'Keefe would use the funds of Project Veritas for his own theatrical interests.
In December 2021, the non-profit said it gave the chairman $20,500 in “excess benefits” to pay for staff to accompany him to Virginia, where he appeared in a production of Oklahoma:
"All the theatre stuff and how that is handled makes me very uneasy. In the end, we are in a deficit now, our fans and potential fans beyond do not respond positively to all of that stuff.”
The memo also pointed out that the money used for musicals could risk misleading the donors.
The internal investigation comes after O'Keefe's Project Veritas faced numerous threats, a lawsuit against the chairman, and an FBI investigation. The non-profit has denied breaking any laws and is currently entangled in a lawsuit. Moreover, Project Veritas laid off several employees in December 2022.
As per The Daily Beast, James O'Keefe started Project Veritas in Westwood, New Jersey. It currently has become an organization with over $20 million annual operating budget.
As of this writing, O'Keefe has not released any statement regarding his "paid leave" from the organization.
