The old adage goes that there are two sides to every story, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle. There doesn’t seem to be a better way to describe the recent turmoil at Project Veritas, the conservative journalism organization known for its undercover sting operations. Project Veritas’s founder and CEO James O’Keefe resigned from his post a little over a week ago after the non-profit’s board of directors placed him on paid leave pending an investigation for alleged financial malfeasance and abuse of staff.

News of O’Keefe’s departure shocked the conservative media world, and Project Veritas’s board was pummeled with allegations that they had executed a coup after being corrupted with money from Pfizer (PV’s last big sting exposed Pfizer for allegedly participating in directed evolution Covid-19 research). The board was also accused of being infiltrated by closeted liberals, or that they were taking out pro-Trump MAGA activists on behalf of Florida governor Ron DeSantis.

After hours of conversations with nearly a dozen Project Veritas-world insiders, the explanation for the ousting of O’Keefe seems far simpler than any of the conspiracies. O’Keefe and the Project Veritas board, at the most basic level, couldn’t coexist anymore.