Project Veritas controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2023
O'Keefe removed amid financial and management allegations
The board removed founder James O'Keefe after alleging misuse of donor funds, questionable personal expenses, and abusive or dysfunctional management practices.
2023
Employee litigation and organizational collapse
Project Veritas settled claims involving wage underpayment and a former employee's sexual-harassment allegations. It subsequently laid off most employees and suspended operations.
2022
Democracy Partners fraud verdict
A jury awarded Democracy Partners $120,000 in a case alleging fraudulent misrepresentation related to Project Veritas's undercover activities.
2021
Twitter faces backlash over Project Veritas account suspensions
Public backlash
In April 2021, Twitter permanently suspended the account of Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe and banned the Project Veritas account. The action drew criticism, and the event was reported as a controversy over the suspensions. According to the source, critics accused Twitter of protecting CNN; this accusation is presented as a reported allegation and reaction, not as an established finding. The source does not specify further details of the suspensions or any response from Twitter.
Twitter faced criticism after permanently suspending Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe and banning the Project Veritas account. The article reports criticism of the suspensions and accusations that Twitter was protecting CNN; these are reported as allegations and reactions, not established findings.
Source excerpt
The @Project_Veritas account was also recently banned.
Twitter has been slammed for permanently suspending Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe from the platform over his purported use of “fake accounts” on the platform amid the conservative watchdog’s “Expose CNN” campaign.
2021
Judge orders The New York Times to return Project Veritas legal documents
Ruling
A Westchester Supreme Court judge ruled that The New York Times must turn over confidential legal memos it obtained and published about Project Veritas, finding that the newspaper violated founder James O’Keefe’s attorney-client privilege.
Source excerpt
Supreme Court Judge Charles Wood ruled that The Times violated Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe’s right to attorney-client privilege by publishing communications between O’Keefe and his lawyer, Benjamin Barr.
The New York Times must immediately turn over confidential legal memos that it obtained and published in a story about the conservative sting-operation media organization Project Veritas, a Westchester Supreme Court judge ruled in an order made public Friday.
2017
Attempted manipulation of The Washington Post
Project Veritas operatives attempted to plant a fabricated story concerning Roy Moore. The newspaper identified the operation through source verification and investigative reporting.
2013
ACORN employee defamation settlement
Juan Carlos Vera sued after an edited video falsely suggested that he was willing to participate in illegal human trafficking. O'Keefe paid $100,000 and expressed regret; Hannah Giles paid a separate $50,000 settlement.