James O’Keefe steps down from right-wing group Project Veritas

The controversial leader of the right-wing provocateur group Project Veritas has been removed as chief executive.

James O’Keefe said during a speech to Project Veritas staff posted online on Monday that he was pushed out of the group last week.

“I have no position here based upon what the board has done — so I’m announcing to you all that today, on Presidents’ Day, I’m packing up my personal belongings here,” Mr O’Keefe said in a prepared statement.

Mr O’Keefe was placed on leave by the Project Veritas board earlier this month after concerns were raised about lawsuits from former employees, use of donor funds and workplace behaviour, according to a report in NYMag.

Mr O’Keefe, 38, founded the group in 2010, and oversaw its use of secretly recorded videos to allegedly expose wrongdoing by journalists, liberal politicians and corporations.

Some of the group’s video clips have been shown in court to be deceptively edited to discredit mainstream news companies and progressive organisations.

Project Veritas rose to prominence during the Trump presidency and was vocal in pushing false claims of election fraud during the 2020 presidential race.

As it became popular among the conservative donor class, its annual revenues soared. The non-profit reported $12m in revenue in 2019, before nearly doubling that figure to $22m in 2020.

But its methods also attracted legal scrutiny. In August, two men pleaded guilty to stealing a diary belonging to President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley Biden and selling it to Project Veritas.

The group was also reportedly under federal investigation over its purchase of the private diary.

In the video, Mr O’Keefe alluded to an internal power struggle at Project Veritas that had forced him out.

He claimed that rival factions within the group had been “ruining our reputation in front of supporters and donors and leaking confidential information and fabricating stories.”

Mr O’Keefe added that he had “felt a lot of despair and seen a lot of evil” over the last few weeks, and hinted that he would set up a new organisation.

Project Veritas spokesman RC Maxwell disputed a report that Mr O’Keefe had resigned from his role in a post on Twitter.

“James was removed from his position as CEO by the Project Veritas board. They are in charge now,” Mr Maxwell wrote.

The Independent has reached out to Project Veritas for comment.