(PM.) An email obtained by The Post Millennial shows that Project Veritas has reached out to donors to ask them to stay with the company despite founder and CEO James O’Keefe having been pushed out by the board of directors. Project Veritas is a not-for-profit operating entirely on the generosity of donors.
“We hope that you might continue to give us a chance,” the email says, pleading with donors. “We can’t stress how separate the board’s role is from daily operations here at PV. We are still grinding and pursuing stories of great public importance.”
The email, sent by Bethany Rolando, who was one of the 16 signers of a letter sent to the Board of Directors reporting personal grievances against O’Keefe, offers the subject line “Update: We hold everyone accountable, especially ourselves.”
“We understand and share your frustrations,” the email reads. “We all love and respect James and hope he returns. This is difficult for everyone.”
The email states that “an independent two-dimensional audit is being arranged” to determine if financial wrong-doing has taken place, and if O’Keefe had broken administrative procedure.
These issues include “Breaking the Bylaws of the organization by unilaterally dismissing the CFO and co-opting another board member’s vote by saying that board member supported the dismissal,” noting that this second Board member “did not.”
One of the issues listed in the letter from those 16 staffers to the board was that O’Keefe had fired the CFO without board oversight. “Most recently,” that letter of February 6 read, “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.”
Other statements also site professional relationships that apparently soured between O’Keefe and others, including an instance where O’Keefe called Spencer Meads a “pussy.”
Also listed in the email to donors, as a matter for the “independent two-dimensional audit,” is whether O’Keefe used “donations for private benefit.” In a statement from the board on February 20, concerns over O’Keefe’s spending were brought to the fore. Among these were staff morale and what the board claims were excessive expenditures.
“The board included this in its statement what it is aware of so far which clearly warrants this internal audit to ensure your hard-earned, and graciously donated, money is utilized appropriately.” The email states that they “hope to know more details around this soon.”
