Project Veritas cut the pay of Chairman James O’Keefe by $15,000 in 2021, according to the nonprofit’s tax filings.
The group told the IRS that James’ reportable compensation in 2020 was $411,600. The following year, though, it dropped by 3.7% to $396,400. Either figure is a far cry from the $56,000 that Project Veritas paid O’Keefe in 2012, the first year the group reported compensating him.
Project Veritas’ revenue was down 6% in 2021 compared with the previous year.
The organization, which O’Keefe founded in 2010, deploys undercover operatives, hidden cameras and artful editing to advance conservative causes. It received tax-exempt status in 2011, but Project Veritas did not report paying O’Keefe that year for the 50 hours a week it claimed he worked.
Last year is not the first time O’Keefe’s compensation has dipped. In 2016, Project Veritas took in $4.9 million and paid O’Keefe $318,000. The following year, with Trump in the White House for the first time, Project Veritas’ revenue soared to $8 million, but O’Keefe’s compensation dipped to $305,000. Through 2021, Project Veritas paid O’Keefe a total of $2.8 million.
The well may be drying up. New York Magazine reported Wednesday that O’Keefe was on paid leave from the organization while its board considers ousting him from his current position.
Neither spokespeople for Project Veritas nor O’Keefe responded to inquiries. But he seems optimistic that he’ll be back to work soon. His email account is currently sending auto-reply messages reading, “I am out of the office on leave and will be returning to the office on February 20th.”
