A Twitter user claiming to be in contact with a whistleblower said Project Veritas' effort to oust founder James O'Keefe was a "coup" attempt.
The user, who goes by the moniker "Swig" and is reportedly the founder of apparel company Old Row, claimed he was contacted by a Project Veritas whistleblower after Wednesday's announcement that O'Keefe was placed on paid leave by the nonprofit media organization.
"This is difficult for me to publish as a STAUNCH supporter of [Project Veritas] for years [and] even a VIP at their events," wrote the user.
"What is happening to James O'Keefe is unconscionable and the attempted hostile takeover of [Project Veritas] needs to be stood against by its supporters. THIS WILL NOT STAND."
The user noted Project Veritas is structured under two legal classifications as a 501(c)(3), and a 501(c)(4). Project Veritas' 501(c)(3) classification reportedly carries the majority of the company's finances while the 501(c)(4) classification carries more board members.
"This situation has allowed … 2 alleged ringleaders of this attempt to push James out to have significant sway over the others despite their reasons to be essentially meritless," wrote the user.
Board members participating in Project Veritas' efforts to oust founder O'Keefe include the reported "ringleader" Matt Tyrmand, John Garvey, Gaorge Skakel, Joseph Barton, and Steve Alembik along with CFO and COO Tom O'Hara and Barry Hinckley, respectively.
The user's source said Project Veritas' board reportedly held a "struggle session" for six-and-a-half hours in which O'Keefe was "subjected" to "constant derision and insults."
"About ten employees aired their grievances about James, which essentially boiled down to him being a tough boss to work for. At the end of this six hour struggle session, Tyrmand and fellow board member John Garvey put him on leave and stripped him of all authority," the source allegedly said, referring to the meeting as a "Stalinesque kangaroo court trial."
"The thing that is so very profound to me that no one seems to grasp: John Garvey and the rest of the Board did NOTHING to stop it. Matt Tyrmand had it all scripted. All six f---ing hours," the source reportedly said, noting the effort to oust O'Keefe was "extremely suspicious" given the nonprofit's recent videos featuring Pfizer executive Jordon Trishton Walker claiming that the company is exploring a way to “mutate” COVID-19 through “Directed Evolution,” along with revealing his concerns regarding the vaccine's possible effects on women's reproductive health.
The user said his source believes Project Veritas' 501(c)(3) board could be swayed by public support for O'Keefe.
"James O'Keefe has done more to expose corporate corruption than almost any journalist in modern history!" wrote the user, noting his support was behind O'Keefe rather than Project Veritas.
Timcast obtained and released a copy of the letter sent to the Project Veritas Board of Directors, Project Veritas Action and the organization’s executive management.
The letter included anonymous reports from witnesses and second-hand accounts of a "pattern of behavior” that “severely limit[s]” the staff’s “ability to execute the PV mission.”
Project Veritas will reportedly decide at a meeting on Feb. 10 if it will permanently remove its founder.
O’Keefe founded Project Veritas in June of 2010. The organization has published investigations and undercover reports on social media platforms, presidential campaigns, and news networks.
Hannah Claire Brimelow contributed to this report
