Led by James O’Keefe, Project Veritas has been criticized for deceptively editing footage to misrepresent subjects’ comments. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Project Veritas seemingly caught feeding false Moore accusations to Washington Post

Project Veritas, an organization run by conservative activist James O’Keefe, appears to have been get caught trying to pass false sexual misconduct allegations against Senate candidate Roy Moore to The Washington Post, extending its history of deploying deceptive tactics to try to ensnare news organizations in controversy.

The newspaper reported Monday that a woman who falsely told its reporters she had been impregnated by the embattled GOP candidate as a teenager was seen entering the offices of the organization in New York, seemingly tipping the group’s hand in its efforts to bait The Post into publishing uncorroborated accusations against Moore.


After a series of interviews with the woman, The Post report said, the newspaper opted not to publish the explosive yet unverified claims. It noted that during the meetings, the purported accuser repeatedly solicited the reporters for opinions on whether her claims would damage Moore in Alabama’s special election on Dec. 12.

Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, is locked in a struggle for political survival after a spate of recent allegations of sexual misconduct with minors when he was in his 30s.

Project Veritas released a series of videos Monday depicting interactions between Post reporters and O’Keefe at the group’s headquarters. In several clips, Post reporters can be seen approaching members of Project Veritas. The members ignore the reporters’ questions, instead hinting at a string of damaging videos the organization promises to reveal.

Project Veritas later on Monday began posting unverified interactions between the organization and members of The Post. The videos refer to the newspaper as the “American Pravda,” a reference to the news arm of the former Soviet Union.

Led by O’Keefe, the organization is known for carrying out hidden-camera interviews in which it looks to lure members of established news outlets into making supposedly compromising ethical statements. It has been criticized for deceptively editing footage to misrepresent the subjects’ comments.

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In 2010, O’Keefe was sued for his videos involving members of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) purportedly discussing illegal activities. O’Keefe later apologized for the series and paid $100,000 in a settlement.

O’Keefe was commissioned in 2009 by Andrew Breitbart, founder of the popular conservative news site currently led by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Bannon and Breitbart News are among Moore’s staunchest political allies and defenders.

