Project Veritas has brought a lawsuit against its founder, James O’Keefe, several months following his ouster. The organization alleges that despite being the founder, O’Keefe behaved in ways detrimental to Project Veritas’ interests, prioritizing his own personal benefits above the organization’s welfare. O’Keefe is accused of a myriad of workplace and financial misconducts that have led to tensions within the organization.
The suit outlines O’Keefe’s purported actions, including reportedly yelling at colleagues, exhibiting discriminatory behavior towards female staff, and creating friction with donors, actions which are claimed to have undermined the organization’s operations and relationships. Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges financial impropriety by O’Keefe, accusing him of misappropriating funds from Project Veritas for his personal use.
This lawsuit followed a period of internal discord during which O’Keefe’s leadership was questioned. Despite discussions in February 2023 surrounding O’Keefe’s potential removal, Project Veritas maintains that it had no initial intentions of terminating him. However, on May 15, 2023, O’Keefe was officially relieved of his duties.
Post-termination, O’Keefe publicly responded to his ousting by releasing a video in which he expressed his appreciation for his former employees. In the video, he stated “Project Veritas will never be stopped from the outside, it will only be because we stopped ourselves.” He confirmed in the video that he had been stripped of his CEO position and had also been ejected from the board of directors.
