James O'Keefe: 'I'm a threat to the media'

By Sarah Kupelian

In North Carolina's cliffhanger election where the all-important U.S. Senate race may well be decided by a handful of votes – current polling shows less than 1 percent separating Democrat Kay Hagan and Republican Thom Tillis – the threat of voter fraud turning the election hit center stage with dual video investigations made public this week by investigative reporter James O’Keefe and his organization, Project Veritas Action.

James O'Keefe went to polling places in three North Carolina cities.

Yet despite the monumental importance of the election and the proven potential for voter fraud to easily provide the winning edge in close elections, O'Keefe's most recent reports have been strangely absent from national broadcast and cable TV news.

Attempting to explain why, O’Keefe stated in a candid radio interview Sunday: "I’m a threat to the media. Because [of] my business model – a guy on YouTube breaks big stories – they hate me, and they hate Matt Drudge, and they hate anybody who operates independently and successfully, because they think that you need a journalism pedigree. They think you need a byline [in] 'the Washington Post.'

"And if we trivialize that, if we make it that you don’t need those things, then we are threatening their very existence," he added. "And if they did their job, there wouldn’t be a need for people like me. But they don’t do their job. Because they’re afraid, because they’re lazy, and because they’re political hacks.”

The controversial filmmaker opened up to Dianne Linderman on her nationally syndicated TRN show, "Everything That Matters."

Diane Linderman interview with James O'Keefe, first clip:

Project Veritas Action released an alarming video Thursday in which multiple campaign workers and managers in North Carolina encourage a woman claiming to be an illegal immigrant to vote. Then yesterday the organization released a follow-up video showing O’Keefe visiting several North Carolina polling places and, upon simply stating the name and address of an inactive or deceased voter, was told he could simply sign his name and cast a vote.

Alarmingly – especially in light of the razor-like closeness of the Senate race – the state of North Carolina does not contest that there are many illegals currently registered to vote. According to the Winston-Salem Journal, the State Board of Elections said Oct 24 that 1,425 names on the voter rolls of North Carolina belong to people who likely are not U.S. citizens.

In the initial O'Keefe video, an actress, posing as an illegal immigrant, said in one encounter: "But the only problem, you know, I don’t want to vote if I’m not legal. I think that’s going to be a problem. I’m not sure."

Greg Amick, campaign manager for sheriff candidate Irwin Carmichael, responded, "It won’t be – it shouldn’t be an issue at all."

Many similar conversations were shown in the investigative video.

View first North Carolina undercover video:

Before resigning Friday as a result of the videotaped disclosures, Amick claimed on his Facebook page that O’Keefe’s video was “intentionally edited to be misleading,” although he never denied advising a presumed illegal resident to vote.

Also Friday, a day after the video's release, the North Carolina Republican Party filed a formal complaint with the State Board of Elections and the North Carolina attorney general calling for an investigation of Democrats aiding voter fraud.

In response to Project Veritas’ investigation, Ray McKinnon, a vice chairman for the Mecklenburg Democratic Party, told the Charlotte Observer, "It is unfortunate that a social media virus has added noise and sometimes confusion to an election in our community."

And one Facebook defender of Amick referred to O'Keefe as having "selective values like those of jihadists …"

View second North Carolina undercover video:

Nevertheless, North Carolina law clearly states:

Section 163-275. Certain acts declared felonies.

Any person who shall, in connection with any primary, general or special election held in this State, do any of the acts or things declared in this section to be unlawful, shall be guilty of a Class I felony. It shall be unlawful:

(18) For any person, knowing that a person is not a citizen of the United States, to instruct or coerce that person to register to vote or to vote.

Linderman asked O'Keefe whether he felt more people ought to engage in his type of undercover reporting.

“I do,” he responded, adding, “I think not everyone is meant to do it and it’s certainly risky.”

Diane Linderman interview with James O'Keefe, second clip:

“I do think that people need to start examining their fear of their own government and they need to stop being afraid to get involved. People are so afraid of being audited, they’re afraid of the retaliation. That fear needs to end now.”

Has the Democratic Party lost its moral compass? asked Linderman,

"Well, certainly I believe this whole ‘war on women’ thing I think is a little disingenuous," answered O'Keefe. "You know our country is how many trillions of dollars in debt? How many people are suffering? How many kids you know that I went to college with can’t find jobs? How many problems do we have as a country – and all we can talk about is birth control? The fact that government doesn’t pay for birth control, therefore they are declaring 'war against women'? It’s all nonsense!"

In North Carolina, as in 18 other states and U.S. territories, no ID is required to vote.

Linderman weighed in with her own assessment of the Democratic Party: "They want you all to be dependent, they do not want you to be free, they do not want you to be able to make for yourself, they do not want you to be creative and innovative, because you become a threat. You become a threat to their existence because as long as you are dependent, they have a job. Once you become independent, they don’t have a job. And that’s the sick, simple truth."

Does O'Keefe ever feel threatened or in fear for his life?

“Do I fear for my life? I mean that question kind of answers so many other questions," he told Linderman. "It’s shameful that we live in a country where journalists are being asked if they fear for their lives after doing their jobs. It's an indictment on our press, it's an indictment on so many things. I don’t fear for my life because that’s not how I live my life, and whatever sacrifices we make don’t even come close to the sacrifices our soldiers make when they fight for our country.”

Sarah Kupelian is producer of Talk Radio Network’s nationally syndicated weekly show “Everything That Matters,” hosted by Dianne Linderman and broadcast live Sundays from 12 p.m.-2 p.m. Pacific. She is also a contributor to WND and is an owner-partner of the Great American Entertainment Company LLC.