James Edward O'Keefe III (born June 28, 1984) is an American political activist known for founding Project Veritas, a far-right activist group that produces undercover videos targeting mainstream media and progressive organizations. These videos are often deceptively edited to misrepresent the context and have sparked significant political reactions
. O'Keefe first gained national attention in 2009 with secretly recorded videos of ACORN offices, which led to congressional funding freezes and firings. He has also released controversial videos involving NPR executives and other organizations. His work involves undercover stings aimed at liberal groups and politicians to embarrass or damage them
. He founded Project Veritas in 2010, an organization dedicated to exposing corruption and misconduct in public and private institutions. Much of its funding comes from anonymous conservative donors. O'Keefe describes himself as a "progressive radical" with conservative, pro-market, and anti-government views
. O'Keefe's investigations have led to legislative changes, federal and state inquiries, resignations, and defunding of certain groups. His work has exposed issues such as voter fraud, corruption at ACORN, bias at NPR, racial discrimination at Planned Parenthood, and more. He has received awards like the Robert Novak Award for Journalistic Excellence and authored a New York Times bestseller titled Breakthrough: Our Guerrilla War to Expose Fraud and Save Democracy
. He served as chairman of Project Veritas until his firing in February 2023 amid internal disputes
. In summary, James O'Keefe is a controversial conservative activist and undercover journalist whose work with Project Veritas has influenced political discourse and policy through provocative undercover investigations and edited video releases
