A controversial conservative organization has stepped back into the national spotlight after its apparent attempt to discredit The Washington Post fell flat.
During interviews with the Post, a woman reportedly claimed GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore impregnated her as a teenager. The paper discovered that woman was lying and appeared to be working undercover for Project Veritas.
Founded by James O'Keefe, Project Veritas tries to discredit news outlets and left-wing organizations — often with deceptive and misleading tactics.
O'Keefe is known for helping release an "undercover video attack" on Planned Parenthood. Before that, he was known for targeting ACORN, a community organizing group.
Project Veritas' video attacks spurred Republican outrage and eventually drove ACORN out of business. Years later, O'Keefe had to pay a $100,000 settlement to an ACORN employee he secretly recorded.
Beyond those attacks, O'Keefe has also recently attempted to target then-Sen. Mary Landrieu, Hillary Clinton's campaign staff and George Soros' Open Society Foundations. That last one didn't go well.
Using a fake name, O'Keefe reportedly called Open Society Foundations and pretended to be a supporter. After he finished his call, an employee said O'Keefe forgot to hang up, accidentally divulging his infiltration plans in a seven-minute voicemail.
O'Keefe and Project Veritas has been condemned by the Columbia Journalism Review and the Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting organization. But despite that, Project Veritas is still around with pretty sizable resources.
The organization has major support from conservative donors — including the Trump Foundation. Since 2012, the organization has received around $13 million in contributions.
