Conservative prankster James O’Keefe is accusing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) of trying to run him out of the state.
O’Keefe told the Daily Beast in a story published Thursday that he believes the state Department of Labor’s requests for financial documents from his Project Veritas organization were politically driven. The accusation comes after Cuomo said last week that “extreme conservatives”have no place in New York.
“Despite the fact that Project Veritas’s finances are meticulously maintained to the penny, Governor Cuomo and the New York Department of Labor is on a witch-hunt, demanding all documents and financials since our founding,” the organization’s website reads. “This is nothing more than meritless, politically-driven targeting.”
Project Veritas compiled the requested documents for a scheduled meeting in December, according to O’Keefe, but Department of Labor officials failed to show.
“We really haven’t focused a lot on New York State, but the fact is, we conduct business, we are located in New York State,” he told the Daily Beast. “That is really what this comes down to. Frankly, I am contemplating leaving. I am contemplating going back to New Jersey to not have to deal with this kind of harassment.”
O’Keefe also dismissed the idea that the political targeting accusations may be a prank in themselves.
“It is really tough to be a citizen journalist these days, you have extraordinary forces working against you,” he said. “The last thing I need are politically motivated audits.”
Fox News host Sean Hannity similarly threatened to leave New York over Cuomo’s remarks, but admitted that relocation wasn’t a realistic immediate option for a man whose more than 100 employees depend on him for income.
