james o'keefe project veritas cease and desist
"We are concerned that the Board may already be acting in violation of Virginia charitable solicitation and trust law and ask that the Board refrain from taking further actions to fundamentally undermine the purposes for which Project Veritas be established."

A Cease and Desist letter went out to the Project Veritas Board of Directors on Thursday, as that body is set to meet to determine the future of founder James O'Keefe with the company.

The letter, shared by Twitter account Swig, was sent by law firm Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders, and states that the "firm represents a large group of significant donors to Project Veritas."


These donors, it goes on to say "have grave concerns about the Board of Directors' reported action to remove Founder and CEO James O'Keefe from his leadership position, change the structure of the Project Veritas entities and their Boards (raising risks for the entities' charitable status), and operate Project Veritas for purposes other than those for which the organization was established."

"The big wig donors to Project Veritas are not taking the board actions against James O'Keefe lying down," says a source, according to Swig. "Looks like they have hired a big name law firm that sent a letter which seems to suggest the board is running afoul of Virginia law and exposing themselves to substantial liability!"


"By threatening or taking these actions," the letter goes on to say, "the Board is straying from its roots and the express purpose for which it raised considerable funds from the public, including our clients."

"We are concerned that the Board may already be acting in violation of Virginia charitable solicitation and trust law and ask that the Board refrain from taking further actions to fundamentally undermine the purposes for which Project Veritas be established."

They further ask that no money be spent in the meantime.

In conclusion, they state that the Board must "cease and desist" from any actions to remove O'Keefe from the company, and state that the letter also represents "a request to preserve all tangible evidence, whether held by the Board or by its members, personally, including all documents related to the subject matter of this letter."

After it was revealed that O'Keefe's tenure with the company was in jeopardy, "James is Project Veritas" began trending on Twitter, with many in media simply aghast that the board would seek to remove the man from the company he founded, launched, and made a household name.

Allegations leveled at O'Keefe were revealed earlier this week by New York Magazine and Daily Beast, with the letter full of staff complaints later released by Timcast.


That letter lists staff complaints that essentially boil down to O'Keefe being a rather difficult boss, something of a "tyrant," and once having eaten a pregnant woman's sandwich. The letter from staff also states that the 16 undersigned employees who submitted the letter have not all seen the kind of abuse mentioned.

The rumor mill began to swirl after the release of the letter as factions began to form, with some saying that further, more damning allegations could be in the offing, primarily concerning financial dealings.