The covert operation seems to have been tied to some of the worst of the worst in right-wing operatives: Project Veritas, James O’Keefe and Erik Prince.
Reporting on the federal investigation Friday, CNN noted that it seems to have arisen as the result of a 2021 New York Times article that revealed “an undercover operation by conservatives to infiltrate progressive groups, political campaigns, and the offices of Democratic as well as moderate Republican elected officials during the 2020 election cycle.”
O’Keefe and Prince, along with a former British intelligence officer named Richard Seddon and Susan Gore, an heiress to the Gore-Tex fortune, have all been subpoenaed so that prosecutors can determine whether any campaign finance laws were violated, CNN said.
That New York Times article provides chilling details about how a couple named Beau Maier and Sofia LaRocca were able to worm their way deep into Democratic operations, particularly in the mountain west, simply by handing out large sums of cash to various campaigns and coalitions:
Large donations to the Democratic National Committee — $10,000 each — had bought Beau Maier and Sofia LaRocca tickets to the [presidential primary] debate. During a cocktail reception beforehand, they worked the room of party officials, rainbow donkey pins affixed to their lapels.
In fact, much about them was a lie. Mr. Maier and Ms. LaRocca were part of an undercover operation by conservatives to infiltrate progressive groups, political campaigns and the offices of Democratic as well as moderate Republican elected officials during the 2020 election cycle, according to interviews and documents.
Using large campaign donations and cover stories, the operatives aimed to gather dirt that could sabotage the reputations of people and organizations considered threats to a hard-right agenda advanced by President Donald J. Trump.
It’s not clear where the money came from, though it’s pretty clear the feds suspect Prince, Project Veritas and Gore. The Times notes that Maier and LaRocca lived for a time “in a luxury house in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington that Project Veritas rented for undercover sting operations against government officials that tried to expose 'deep state' bias against Mr. Trump.”
“Under federal law, it is illegal to make campaign donations at the behest of another person, then get reimbursed, The Times further notes.
It’s also not clear how successful the operation was. Joe Biden won the presidential election in 2020, Democrats won control of the Senate and kept their control of the House of Representatives. But the right-wing efforts were hampered by the Covid pandemic.
Regardless of how the investigation turns out, you can best believe this crew will be back at work, if they aren’t already, trying to undermine Democrats in the 2024 election. I hope all Democratic and liberal activists will be very, very careful about whom they trust.
