Former Whistleblowers Vouch for O’Keefe After Project Veritas Exit: We ‘Stand with James’

More than a dozen individuals who have worked with Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe to shed light on internal happenings at Facebook, CNN, and other companies issued a statement Friday in support of O’Keefe following his exit from the company.

“As individuals who trusted Project Veritas with our stories, the removal of James O’Keefe by the Board of Directors was extremely disappointing and shocking. Without James O’Keefe, there is no Project Veritas,” they wrote in the statement, provided to Breitbart News.

The joint remarks were made by numerous former whistleblowers who have frequently been dubbed “Project Veritas insiders” but who renamed themselves “O’Keefe’s Insiders” in their statement.

They all left their former companies at various points over the last several years to tell their stories through Project Veritas, which served as a platform to expose perceived corruption within those companies.

O’Keefe has frequently appeared with many of them at events, praising their work and their decision to “be brave” and bring their intel to him. Their experiences at past companies often transformed into key stories for Project Veritas about topics like Facebook’s content moderation practices and CNN’s editorial choices.

“Many of us were inspired by other whistleblowers who went public, and we forged strong relationships with one another after being fired and dealing with media blowback, hit pieces and harassment,” they stated. “Because of James, there is a growing movement of whistleblowers who are willing to come forward and tell their stories.”

The individuals acknowledged they had “many unanswered questions about what transpired” prior to O’Keefe’s departure but said that nevertheless, “O’Keefe’s removal from the organization has dealt a devastating blow to future whistleblowers who now may have doubts about the organization and its leadership.”

Read the full statement below:

The former whistleblowers also appeared in a video compilation Friday, with many of them proclaiming in it, “I stand with James O’Keefe.”

O’Keefe, who founded Project Veritas in 2010, left the organization Monday following a burst of public revelations that indicated internal strife among O’Keefe, Project Veritas’s Board of Directors, and various employees.

O’Keefe announced Monday he did not resign but rather was “stripped of [his] position as CEO and Chairman.” He also shared a video of himself delivering final remarks to staff and defending himself against the Project Veritas board.

That same day, the board issued its own statement, alleging it had uncovered “financial malfeasance” at Project Veritas, which is a registered nonprofit. The board said it sought to “come to terms with James” about two issues in particular, the company’s finances and the “retention and morale” of staff.

“Even with all of this public fallout, the Board still wants to speak with James,” it wrote. “We did not fire him, nor do we want him to resign. We would like to continue conversations with James to resolve internal matters rather than litigate them publicly.”