(Headline USA) Employees at Project Veritas complained in an internal memo sent to the company’s board of directors this week that founder James O’Keefe has demonstrated “abusive” behavior toward them.
O’Keefe, the head of Project Veritas, allegedly carried out “public crucifixions” on employees who disappointed him, was “outright cruel” to others, the memo said.
One employee said O’Keefe yelled at her “in front of jurors because he was hungry” and then took an “8-month pregnant woman’s sandwich.”
Another employee alleged O’Keefe “spit in an employee’s face over a tweet,” and that he required them to take polygraph tests to assure no one leaked information to the press.
“The undersigned are troubled and frustrated with James’ management style and business acumen,” the memo said.
“These behaviors and actions are antithetical to our core values, and it came to a head this week,” it continued. “Most recently, 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 organization and got berated in public on Tuesday and effectively terminated by Thursday.”
O’Keefe also allegedly called Project Veritas operative Spencer Meads a “p***y” after the FBI raided his home during its investigation into Project Veritas’s publication of Ashley Biden’s diary.
“James has become a power drunk tyrant,” the memo said.
The board of directors confirmed that O’Keefe has been placed on paid leave pending an investigation.
“James will be taking a few weeks of well-deserved PTO,” Project Veritas executive director Daniel Strack said in an internal memo to staff. “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.”
The 16 staffers who signed the memo are: Michael Villani, Eric Spracklen, Mario Balaban, Jake Mantel, Patrick Van Duyne, Sal Gueli Journalists: Arden Young, Preston Scagnelli, Bobby Harr (Lithium), Bethany Rolando, Joanne Sumner, Gillian Pietrowski, Jonathan Bailey, Joshua Hughes, Nick Mehaj, and Angelo Martinez.
