James O’Keefe, the founder and President of Project Veritas, has been forced to take a paid leave from the conservative nonprofit media organization as the board discusses whether he should be removed from his leadership position at the company. This report has shocked both supporters and enemies of the news organization, with many wondering whether Project Veritas would continue its success without O’Keefe’s leadership.

On Wednesday, it was reported that Project Veritas employees received an email from the company’s executive director, Daniel Strack, informing them that O’Keefe would be taking “a few weeks of well-deserved PTO.”

Strack’s email said that it was “a distracting time” and told employees that, at a recent board meeting, they had discussed “the health of the organization.” The letter added that, while they “have not come up with final solutions,” they “have made a few immediate decisions.”

Included in the board’s “immediate decisions” was the reinstatement of two Project Veritas executives, both of whom had reportedly been fired recently by O’Keefe.

In a later statement released by Strack, he said, “Like all newsrooms at this stage, the Project Veritas Board of Directors and Management are constantly evaluating what the best path forward is for the organization.”

“There are 65+ employees at Project Veritas dedicated to continuing the mission to expose corruption, dishonesty, waste, fraud, and other misconduct in both public and private institutions,” the statement continued. “To our supporters: We hear you, we care about you, and we will never give up.”

On Friday, the Project Veritas board is scheduled to meet and discuss O’Keefe’s possible removal.

Since being placed on leave, O’Keefe has been very silent on his social media accounts and is not commenting on the situation to the press.

This ousting attempt comes just after O’Keefe released a bombshell video of a Pfizer director discussing his company’s interest in mutating Covid-19 for future vaccine opportunities, and another of the Pfizer employee discussing his concerns with the vaccine’s effects on women’s menstrual cycles.

After news of the Project Veritas founder’s potential firing, his supporters quickly came out to defend O’Keefe, and many others wondered if the news organization would be able to carry on without him as their leader.

One former employee stated, “Quite frankly, he’s the company.”

Political commentator Robby Starbuck bashed the board members who are trying to oust O’Keefe and questioned the timing of the board’s actions. He tweeted,

“James O’Keefe is Project Veritas. Period. If the board tried to fire him as rumors suggest then they’ll soon find out people will move their donations to whatever new name [O’Keefe] does his investigations under. I don’t know what genius came up with the idea to try a coup but it’s going to backfire badly if they do in fact do that. Seems extra suspect that this is happening right after James exposes Pfizer.”

One Twitter thread by ‘@amuse’ suggests that Barry Hinckley, Project Veritas’ new Chief Strategy Officer, is responsible for O’Keefe’s targeting.

Hinckley, a former Goldman Sachs COO, was hired four months ago at Project Veritas. He is “the heir to the Hinckley Yachts family, a failed Senate candidate from Rhode Island, and CEO of a failed company that called itself the Airbnb of private house parties.”

The Twitter user alleged that Hinckley recruited 11 Project Veritas employees to sign a letter that labeled O’Keefe as a “power-drunk tyrant,” which was then sent to the board of directors.

Reportedly, O’Keefe fired Hinckley and the CFO Tom O’Hara as a result of their attempts to oust him.

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