Grifter O'Keefe Under Investigation For "Looting" Former Group

 

Grifting fascist ratf*cker James O'Keefe (III!) is under investigation for looting his former grift, the ironically named grifting fascist outfit "Project Veritas." (All these right-wing pathological liars just love to proclaim they're all about "truth.")  The Nation has the exclusive:

James O’Keefe, the founder and until this past February CEO of the right-wing nonprofit Project Veritas, is currently under investigation by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.

While the exact nature of the investigation is not yet public, the timing would suggest that it relates to O’Keefe’s alleged financial improprieties during his tenure as the group’s chairman and CEO. Back in February, O’Keefe was accused of spending “an excessive amount of donor funds in the last three years on personal luxuries” by the conservative nonprofit’s own board of directors, amid their very public feud over the management and future of Veritas. Westchester DA Miriam Rocah’s probe follows a raft of civil lawsuits, criminal investigations, and six-figure court losses that have trailed the group under O’Keefe’s leadership—including a still-active federal investigation into the theft of property belonging to President Biden’s daughter Ashley Biden.  [snip]

Attorneys for Project Veritas also filed a civil complaint against O’Keefe in federal court this past May, accusing the ostensible investigative reporting outfit’s original hidden-camera sting artist of breaching his contract and fiduciary duties to the group, among other counts. Despite that pending litigation, made public alongside a detailed new timeline reiterating the board’s own version of its disputes and grievances with O’Keefe, Veritas says that the organization did not prompt the Westchester DA’s investigation into its former leader via a formal criminal referral.  (our emphasis)

Because "veritas" is in their name, we can take their assurances to the bank that they didn't sic the DA on O'Keefe III!  Grifters turning on each other;  who'd have guessed!?

The "Project Veritas" CEO that definitely did not sic the DA on O'Keefe III is none other than Hannah Giles.  Remember her?

Giles’s assumption of leadership at Veritas reflects an attempt at continuity for the group, which was launched over a decade ago following the tactical successes of the infamous hidden camera stings against the liberal community-organizing group ACORN by her and O’Keefe. By April 2010, O’Keefe and Giles’s early one-off collaboration would result in the complete dissolution of ACORN’s network of local advocacy groups, whose “get out the vote” efforts had helped to enfranchise millions of low-income and minority voters in underserved communities.

She seems nice.  Punching down in the service of White supremacy must be in their mission statement somewhere.

These grifters are part of a network of grifters, working to advance the authoritarian MAGA/ Christofascist Republican agenda using any means necessary.  One of the former board members of the group is connected with un-indicted coup whisperer Steve "Crumb Bum" Bannon, which tells you all you need to know.

These excerpts are only a small fraction of The Nation's reporting on the infighting, litigation and scandals besetting this nest of rats over the past few years, culminating in the current investigation and potential charges against O'Keefe.  It's worth a read.

(Photo:  Grifter O'Keefe III and now- CEO Hannah Giles, typecast as "pimp and ho" from their infamous 2009 ACORN takedown)

O'Keefe's Latest "Sting" Ends Up Stinging Him (Again) - UPDATED

In an attempt to discredit the Washington Post's reporting on serial child predator and Republican Senate candidate Roy "Teen Spirit" Moore (R- Shopping Mall), the scurvy operation run by  Republican amateur ratf*cker James "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe -- ironically named "Project Veritas" -- got its short hairs caught in its zipper once again:

A woman who falsely claimed to The Washington Post that Roy Moore, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Alabama, impregnated her as a teenager appears to work with an organization that uses deceptive tactics to secretly record conversations in an effort to embarrass its targets. 

In a series of interviews over two weeks, the woman shared a dramatic story about an alleged sexual relationship with Moore in 1992 that led to an abortion when she was 15. During the interviews, she repeatedly pressed Post reporters to give their opinions on the effects that her claims could have on Moore’s candidacy if she went public. 

The Post did not publish an article based on her unsubstantiated account. When Post reporters confronted her with inconsistencies in her story and an Internet posting that raised doubts about her motivations, she insisted that she was not working with any organization that targets journalists. 

But on Monday morning, Post reporters saw her walking into the New York offices of Project Veritas, an organization that targets the mainstream news media and left-leaning groups. The organization sets up undercover “stings” that involve using false cover stories and covert video recordings meant to expose what the group says is media bias.

The article is worth a read, if only to recap the lengths to which these amoral ratf*ckers will go in order to discredit the so- called "liberal media," in this case egregiously siding with a child predator simply because he's got "Republican" next to his name on the December 12 ballot in Alabama. Think about that and the fact that these assholes hired a woman to lie about a sexual encounter simply to discredit the 9 women who've spoken out against "Teen Spirit" Moore. Can't get much lower than that.

This morning, the Post also ran an article about what an incompetent "sting" operation these pinheads ran. It's also worth checking out.

Jonathan Chait explains why the frequent O'Keefe "stings" meant to expose media bias often go awry:

Another reason O’Keefe’s plot collapsed again is because it is premised on a ludicrously false worldview. The Washington Post does not, in fact, publish unverified accusations just because they’re against Republicans. His various attempts to prove rampant voter fraud have failed in part because voter fraud is not rampant. 

But this larger conceptual problem with O’Keefe’s enterprise creates a secondary problem, which is that the people who are dumb enough to believe these conspiracy theories are not generally smart enough to carry out a competent entrapment scheme. (our emphasis)

That sounds about right to us.

Obligatory musical accompaniment.

UPDATE:  The Onion has a hilarious take (h/t Silver Spring Bureau Chief Brian). Hey, even Fox "News" is mocking the caper.

(Photo: Vintage O'Keefe in his clever and totes believable disguise as a "pimp," with accessory "ho.")

Good for Gerson

We're almost always at odds with former Bushit speechwriter and op-ed columnist for the Kaplan Daily Michael "Mushroom Cloud" Gerson. However, he's written an interesting column that slams largely right-wing dirty trickers who doctor video and peddle the trash to the broader media. Case in point: the recent "expose" of NPR by video sleazebag James "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe. As Gerson says,

"It is now clear that O’Keefe’s editing of the raw video from his interview with NPR’s top fundraiser, Ron Schiller, was selective and deceptive. . .But the controversy also raises deeper issues about the ethics of undercover journalism. In this case, O’Keefe did not merely leave a false impression; he manufactured an elaborate, alluring lie."

And,

"These tactics are not a new brand of gonzo journalism. They are a sophisticated version of the political dirty trick. Would it be citizen journalism to fool a senator’s psychiatrist into revealing demeaning information about his or her patient? Or to befriend a prominent conservative pastor, goad him into making homophobic statements, then edit, exaggerate and put them on the Internet?"

Sadly, ethics are not in the tool kit of amoral punks like O'Keefe.

The Sewer Rat

Deep in the sewers of the far right dwells a sleazy, dishonest provocateur by the name of James "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe.  In the past, he's been caught posing as a "pimp" to smear the ACORN organization, attempting to bug the offices of Senator Mary Landrieu, selective tape editing to smear National Public Radio, and trying to get a female CNN reporter into a compromising position. Now, O'Keefe has been exposed by one of his former lieutenants for trying to infiltrate a march against police tactics used against Eric Gardner in New York City and trying to turn the march violent.  Better still, there is e-mail and other evidence to support the allegations. What makes O'Keefe's actions particularly despicable is that he wanted one of his operatives to play the role of a violent demonstrator and to incite other demonstrators to attack police at the march.

The former lieutenant has lawyered-up, indicating that there may be serious charges contemplated for O'Keefe.  One can only hope that he gets nailed with felony incitement to riot and whatever other credible felony charges they can make stick.  Then, he can take his"pimp" costume to prison, where we know it's bound to go over big.

(photo:  "G. Gordon Diddy" rocks his pre-incarceration look)

Rethug Crime Blotter - Junior Wingnut Edition

James "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe, the junior wingnut who "exposed" ACORN as the demofascistcommie fraud that it is(n't), was arrested by the FBI today along with three other stools when they attempted to tamper with the phones in Sen. Mary Landrieu's New Orleans office. O'Keefe and his ninja henchmen were posing as telephone repairmen when the caper went south. Look for RedState and the Freepers to start the legal defense fund toot sweet.

(Photo: "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe, and his moll from the ACORN sting, in happier times.)

"O'Keefe? We Don't Know Any O'Keefe"

It looks like hard times ahead for junior wingnut cub reporter James "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe. Busted on felony charges stemming from the attempt to bug the phones of Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, G.G. Diddy is experiencing the doors of former wingnut allies slamming in his face. The latest is the Salt Lake County Rethug organization, which cancelled a speech by G.G. Diddy on "ACORN's unethical behavior." [Snicker, tee hee, nice turnabout!] Fux News was also disconsolate over their young hero's fall from grace as the pimped-out ACORN slayer of yore.

It's our fondest wish that G.G. Diddy serve time, but not before disclosing the Rethug operators who supported his caper.

(photo: G.G. Diddy's clever disguise as a telephone repairman didn't fool the Feds)

Tweets Of The Day

 

Where are the confident media takes? --

 

A lot of very confident takes last week about how Afghanistan was going to affect Biden and the Democrats' political futures, far fewer takes today about how the largest GOP-run state and GOP-run Supreme Court tossing Roe will affect the GOP's...

— Jacob Rubashkin (@JacobRubashkin) September 2, 2021

 

Where is the confident political party? --

 

"One party is so committed to its ideological objectives that it is willing to violate the Constitution to achieve them. The other is so ambivalent about its own goals that it fetishizes procedural obstacles to their enactment."https://t.co/4xF0v6rFum

— b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) September 3, 2021

 

When you want to see our side break one damn norm for democracy. pic.twitter.com/xDajgqdgy4

— Schooley (@Rschooley) September 3, 2021

Effing Joe Manchin (and Kyrsten Sinema, too) --

 

exhibit ∞ for how democratic party "centrists" have no substantive agenda and are defined exclusively by their performative anti-partisanship https://t.co/zzxAHOosBD

— b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) September 3, 2021

One positive outcome from Hurricane Ida --

 

Hurricane Ida obliterated the offices of conservative undercover operative James O'Keefe and his Project Veritas group. Even "Retracto," the stuffed alpaca O'Keefe uses as his mascot, was destroyed. pic.twitter.com/nC5M1BD3id

— Will Sommer (@willsommer) September 3, 2021

Gun manufacturer Remington goes further into moral abyss --

 

So basically they’re implying that if these 6-year-old-children were tardy too often or didn’t share their toys, they deserved to die. pic.twitter.com/8zaF6ch3W8

— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) September 3, 2021

Mama Bear --

pic.twitter.com/rcsCBuEksg

— Sarah Hutto (@huttopian) August 31, 2021

 

 

Big Surprise

Daily Kos has picked up on a nugget in a NY Times story on Wingnuttia's latest hero, James "O Crap" O'Keefe, whose videos have targeted ACORN. Asked why he targeted ACORN, O Crap said it was because ACORN registers minority voters who are likely to vote against Rethuglicans.

It's been a rule of politics for almost 80 years that large voter turnouts favor Democrats, and low turnouts favor Rethuglicans. That's why the Bushit Justice Department was so aggressive in trying to get its U.S. Attorneys to trump up "voter fraud" cases, and why so much Rethug effort is spent in every election to suppress the vote, particularly in minority districts. Spreading lies that voters can vote the day after election, putting up false information about where to vote, intimidation at polling places, and other Rethug fraud are always the games played. O Crap is just the latest in the scurrilous line.

O'Keefe's Latest Oeuvre

Lights! Camera! Mug shot! Right-wing video doctor James "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe may just have crossed the line again, this time by engaging in voter fraud in the recent New Hampshire Rethug primary. It seems the young dimwit and his band of, er, dimwits videotaped an election official while they were in the process of committing voter fraud! Why would anyone with a brain do such a thing, and provide the video evidence? (I believe I answered that question while asking it.) They're trying to show how important it is to have tough voter I.D. laws, that's why by crackey! (In other words, they're involved in the ongoing Rethug voter suppression effort.)

For his noble efforts, G. Gordon is facing potential state charges of voter fraud and illegally recording an election official, and federal charges of crossing state lines to record an election official and identity theft. The little ass whistle is already on 3-years probation for "entry by false pretense" into Sen. Mary Landrieu's office with the intention of wiretapping her phone. We'd like to see him put his mad videographic skillz to a real test with a hidden camera in the showers at the Atlanta Penitentiary.

(Photo: G. Gordon Diddy in happier times.)

Wingnut O'Keefe Loses Round in Court

Right-wing dirty trickster James "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe loves to dress up and videotape encounters with his political enemies, and then selectively edit them to put the worst face on his victims. He did that with ACORN and with National Public Radio's VP Ron Schiller, he tried it with CNN correspondent Abby Boudreau, and he famously was caught trying to tap the phones of Dem Sen. Mary Landrieu. He got 3 years probation and a $1,000 fine for that last one. Reading about this low-life's activities can make you angry and nauseous at the same time.

Yesterday, a Federal District Court Judge denied G. Gordon Diddy's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by one of his ACORN victims for breach of privacy. As is his style, Diddy posed as a pimp trying to get information on tax rules so that he could smear the community activist organization. He was sued for disseminating an edited video of the conversation, which he promised to keep private. We'll see where the case leads when it's heard in October, but the days of Diddy's producing vile propaganda pieces for the far right are getting numbered.

(photo: G. Gordon Diddy in his Sunday best)

Pimped Again!

As we know, ACORN/ Landrieu/ CNN "pimpmaster" and video doctor James "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe's latest scalp was that of NPR's Ron Schiller. As we should have known, the video "evidence" that the pimpmaster used to embarrass Schiller out of a job was as doctored as the Mickey Finn O'Keefe was going to use to "seduce" CNN's Abbie Boudreau. As we also should have known, the media uncritically lapped up the latest exercise in wingnut fantasy filmmaking, and the spineless wonders at NPR reacted with l'affaire Sherrod-like speed in running for cover while cutting Schiller off at the knees. I'm quite sure no one in the media or political sphere will get played by the pimpmaster again! Kudos all around!

ACORN Pimp Pleads Guilty

As expected, ACORN pimp/provocateur James "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe and his band of merry men plead guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of "entry by false pretense" into Sen. Mary Landreu's New Orleans office. Diddy was sentenced to 3 years probation, 100 hours community service and a $1,500 fine; his cohorts, not so much. Clearly, these tools have a future in the Rethuglican Party!

(Photo: G. Gordon Diddy O'Keefe and "Li'l Miss ACORN 2009")

Friday Funnies

We may never see a better takedown of Fux News Gauleiter Sean "Heil" Hannity than this one performed by Stephen Colbert. Now that the wingnut punks that pulled the video-edited ACORN stunt and attempted bugging of Sen. Landrieu's office have been exposed for the weasels that they are, Heil has been rather silent. Luckily, Colbert has some work in mind for Heil that won't be much of a change from what he's been doing.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Tip/Wag - James O'Keefe & Sean Hannity
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Skate Expectations

The Mole That Roared

Paul Farhi, the once great Washington Post  Bezos Bugle's media critic, has a feature article today about whether the "media-briefing battles between [White House press secretary] Jay Carney and ABC's Jon Karl" are benefiting anyone.  Farhi catalogs some of the more noteworthy dust-ups between the two and concludes that the confrontations are emblematic of a format that sheds more heat than light on topics of the day.  Well, yeah.  But throughout his pearl-clutching, Farhi never gets to the reason why Karl is the biggest dick in a briefing room full of dicks.

All you need to know about Jonathan Karl is right here:

Karl came to mainstream journalism via the Collegiate Network, an organization primarily devoted to promoting and supporting right-leaning newspapers on college campuses (Extra!, 9-10/91)—such as the Rutgers paper launched by the infamous James O’Keefe (Political Correction, 1/27/10). The network, founded in 1979, is one of several projects of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, which seeks to strengthen conservative ideology on college campuses. William F. Buckley was the ISI’s first president, and the current board chair is American Spectator publisher Alfred Regnery. Several leading right-wing pundits came out of Collegiate-affiliated papers, including Ann Coulter, Dinesh D'Souza, Michelle Malkin, Rich Lowry and Laura Ingraham (Washington Times, 11/28/04).

There's a lot more at that link that paints Karl as a fairly obvious Republican mole in the press corps.  He's notorious for being caught parroting Republican talking points during the Benghazi! phony e-mail flapdoodle.  So, are we shocked that someone in the media is a right-winger?  Hardly (see: Fox "News").  But, when the story's about someone who's essentially a political operative who happens to have a press badge, let's have his/ her professional pedigree at least be mentioned, ok?

"Weinergate" Exposed

It seems crackpot film editor, James O'Keefe mentor, and Muslin scourge Andrew "Not So" Breitbart spent his Memorial Day weekend trying to gin up another faux scandal, this time involving Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY). There's a good summary of the events wherein Breitbart inevitably gets his man-tits in a wringer, over here. In addition to Shirley Sherrod's pending suit over the edited tape Breitbart peddled in an attempt to make her look racist, we hope Rep. Weiner goes forward with a suit that will put Breitbart out of bidness for good.

(Photo: perpetually mad - and we mean that in both senses of the word - Andrew "Not So" Breitbart)

Right-Wing Smear Mystery Deepens

The intrigue surrounding the Dominican prostitution smear of New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez is expanding to implicate the right-wing web site The Daily Caller, run by bow-tied B.S.-er  Tucker "Mothertucker" Carlson.  A prosecutor in the Dominican Republic is saying that the attorney representing the prostitutes that Menendez was accused of procuring said that he was offered money by someone claiming to represent The Daily Caller to plant the story.

Mothertucker, of course, is denying any involvement in the alleged payments.  If his outfit is proven to have been involved, it would fit the pattern of right-wing media organizations (Breitbart and James "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe come to mind) that will lie and fabricate to bring political opponents down.  This time, however, the FBI is on the case for possible criminal violations, so stay tuned.

(photo:  Pee-Wee Herman called and he wants his bow tie back)

How Low Can You Go?

Only a tea bagger knows.   One might sink lower than this, but it would be hard to imagine:

A conservative Mississippi blogger was arrested Friday for sneaking into a nursing home to shoot a photo of the ailing wife of Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS). According to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, 28-year-old Clayton Thomas Kelly — who was charged with exploitation of a vulnerable adult — wanted the image to use in a “hit piece” video supporting Cochran’s far-right Tea Party primary challenger, Chris McDaniel. 

Kelly runs the Constitutional Clayton blog, where he regularly posts anti-Cochran rants, screeds against the United Nations, posts defending religious discrimination against LGBT people and a smattering of posts heaping praise on McDaniel, who Kelly calls “the next Rand Paul.” 

The blogger wanted a photo of Rose Cochran — who was hospitalized for dementia in 2000 — for an anti-Cochran video that was posted on Kelly’s YouTube channel on April 26, but which only remained online for a few hours.

Already facing criminal penalties, Constitutional Clayton will hopefully get his ass sued off by Sen. Cochran's family.  McDaniel's campaign issued a strong disavowal and condemnation of their supporter's Constitutional Clayton's actions.  (UPDATE:  But there was some curious timing involved in their knowledge of the incident.  UPDATE II:  More to the story than meets the eye.)

Fortunately, once this has all blown over, Constitutional Clayton can certainly find employment with James "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe's gang of immoral ratf*ckers.

(Photo:  Constitutional Clayton Thomas Kelly's mugshot, Madison MS Police Dept.;  the numbers on the board behind Constitutional Clayton are for IQ measurement.)

Get The Picture?

Right-wing bigot blogger Chuck C. "Chuckles" Johnson wants to be the next James "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe, and in the sense that he routinely screws up, he's well on his way.  The tragic train wreck in Philadelphia prompted Chuckles to post the following sick tweets:

Over 40% of #Amtrak employees are black. They proudly talk about their diversity. Was it to blame here?

— Charles C. Johnson (@ChuckCJohnson) May 13, 2015

We need the name and race of the conductor. I'm offering $400 to first person to get it to me exclusively. #Amtrak

— Charles C. Johnson (@ChuckCJohnson) May 13, 2015

He was certain that the engineer on the train was black, so his reaction must have been priceless to the picture of the actual engineer:

And now Chuckles' mug:

Affirmative action!  For Gingers.

(h/t to Little Green Footballs, where you can read more)

Wingnut's Latest Undercover Caper Draws Yawns

Failed right-wing dirty trickster and rented costume aficionado James "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe keeps tripping on his clown shoes when he attempts to entrap Dems and other enemies of Wingnuttia in his fraudulent attack videos.  Recall that he was the lowlife that, among many other things, falsely depicted ACORN staffers as supporting prostitution using edited video, and was sentenced to three years' probation for breaking into Sen. Mary Landrieu's office.  But his latest caper came a cropper when he tried to entrap a Clinton campaign staffer into selling a Canadian associate of Diddy's $75 worth of campaign swag.  When he presented this monumental exposé to a group of suckers reporters at the National Press Club today, there was a collective groan even among those Hillary haters.  Even Diddy's attorney reportedly likened the Clinton staff's alleged "offense" to "jaywalking."  More like public defecation on Diddy's part.

(photo: The wingnut super-sleuth in his clever "pimp" disguise, on the mission to bring down ACORN)

In A Surprise Switch, Auteurs Of Bogus Fetal Tissue Video Indicted, Not Planned Parenthood

Bwahahaha:

A Harris County grand jury investigating allegations that a Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston illegally sold the tissue of aborted fetuses has cleared the organization of wrongdoing and instead indicted two anti-abortion activists behind the undercover videos that sparked the probe.

Secret videographers David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt were both indicted on charges of tampering with a governmental record, a second-degree felony that carries a punishment of up to 20 years in prison. Daleiden received an additional misdemeanor indictment under the law prohibiting the purchase and sale of human organs.

The investigation was requested by uber- nut Gov. Greg "Abbadabba" Abbott (R- Texass), who was clearly hoping a kangaroo jury would throw some indictments, or at least more mud, at Planned Parenthood.  Making it even more remarkable, the District Attorney leading the grand jury is a Republican appointed by former Gov. Rick "Oops" Perry.  So, Planned Parenthood is cleared and the ratf*ckers are indicted. To quote Abbott's Republican predecessor, "Oops."  Funny how that turned out.

The deceptively edited video, widely flogged by Republican candidates clowns to discredit Planned Parenthood, was of course debunked as yet another fraudulent attempt by a radical wingnut ratf*cking outfit to take down an organization supported by Democrats or anyone not subscribing to their crackpot agenda =cough= James "G. Gordon Diddy" O'Keefe = cough=.  But not after it had done damage to Planned Parenthood and caused a chorus of despicable Republican officeholders like Abbott to take political potshots at it. 

Oh, the schadenfreude, it is sweet!

UPDATE:  Making the schadenfreude even sweeter, Fox "News" spittle- flingers are having the predictable meltdown.

UPDATE II:

If you're madder at the GOPs who cleared Planned Parenthood than the GOPs who've been lying to you about it, the ones who lied thank you.

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) January 26, 2016