James O’Keefe parents: James E. O’Keefe Jr., Deborah O’Keefe

James Edward O’Keefe III, an American political activist and provocateur, was born on June 28, 1984.

He started Project Veritas, a far-right activist organisation that targets progressive organisations and mainstream media outlets by using deceptive editing methods.

James O’Keefe parents: James E. O’Keefe Jr., Deborah O’Keefe

James Edward O’Keefe III was born in Bergen County to James, a materials engineer, and Deborah O’Keefe, a physical therapist. He has not disclosed much information about his parents.

In Westwood, New Jersey, O’Keefe spent his childhood. His father characterised his household as “conservative but not rigorously so.” His passion in the performing arts, theatre, and journalism began in high school, where he attended Westwood High School and graduated. As the top rank in the Boy Scouts of America, he achieved Eagle Scout.

Both O’Keefe and Project Veritas have created covertly recorded undercover audio and video encounters in academic, governmental, and social service organisations, claiming to show abusive or illegal behaviour by representatives of those organisations; the recordings are frequently edited to selectively misrepresent the context of the conversations and the subjects’ responses.