04/27/2021
Earlier: MSM Claims License To Lie, Wants You Dead — BRIMELOW vs. NEW YORK TIMES Moves Forward
A story about James O’Keefe of Project Veritas explains what his recent Twitter ban was about. Twitter says he’s being banned over its "fake account" policy. It’s lying:
Supporters of O’Keefe say that the company removed his account as retribution for his most recent “exposé” involving surreptitious recordings of a CNN employee admitting the news organization has a political bias. (The person he was talking to had, impersonating a nurse, matched with him on Tinder.)
For his part O’Keefe said he would be suing Twitter for defamation over the allegation that he operated fake accounts. Chief Legal Officer Jered T. Ede told TechCrunch that “James O’Keefe has only one account. He does not have fake accounts. Twitter’s statement is simply false.”
[Twitter bans James O’Keefe of Project Veritas over fake account policy, by Devin Coldewey, TechCrunch, April 15, 2021]
A story from Forbes has more details about the lawsuit:
James O’Keefe, the right-wing founder of Project Veritas, filed a defamation lawsuit against Twitter Monday afternoon, claiming the social media giant falsely accused him of operating fake accounts when it permanently banned him from the platform last week.
Key Facts
O’Keefe’s lawsuit comes just four days after Twitter suspended O’Keefe’s account and claimed he violated its platform manipulation rules, which bar users from setting up false accounts or using multiple accounts to “artificially amplify or disrupt conversations.”
In a legal complaint Project Veritas says was filed Monday, O’Keefe said he didn’t operate fake accounts, insisting Twitter’s statements on his ban are “extremely damaging to his reputation” and undermine his investigative work.
The suit also speculated that Twitter banned O’Keefe “in order to distract and detract from” embarrassing hidden-camera videos Project Veritas had posted of a CNN staffer (the legal complaint didn’t point to any hard evidence).
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Crucial Quote
“The false accusation that Mr. O’Keefe operated ‘fake accounts’ is particularly damaging for Mr. O’Keefe because Mr. O’Keefe is a journalist,” the complaint read. “As such, his reputation for transparency and accurate reporting is fundamental to his profession.”
[Project Veritas Founder James O’Keefe Sues Twitter Over Ban,by Joe Walsh, Forbes, April 19, 2021]
O'Keefe responds strongly at his own ProjectVeritas.com site:
“I am suing Twitter for defamation because they said I, James O’Keefe, ‘operated fake accounts.’ This is false, this is defamatory, and they will pay. Section 230 may have protected them before, but it will not protect them from me. The complaint will be filed Monday.”
[James O’Keefe RESPONDS to TWITTER ACCOUNT SUSPENSION Following BOMBSHELL CNN TAPES: Says He Plans to SUE THE PLATFORM FOR ‘DEFAMATORY STATEMENTS,’ April 15, 2021]
Here’s the point: he’s not suing Twitter because it’s banned him from Twitter (blah blah blah private company blah blah blah). He’s suing it because it’s lying about him using fake accounts.
VDARE.com has been banned from Facebook on a similarly false claim of "fake accounts." We are about to sue Facebook on exactly the same theory that O'Keefe is suing Twitter.
We wish him all the best.
And we will be grateful for any support you can give our Legal Defense Fund.
This is a content archive of VDARE.com, which Letitia James forced off of the Internet using lawfare.