DisruptJ20 Organizers Say They ‘Intentionally Overstated’ Their Plans

At the end of the second installment of his current investigative series, Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe warned the organizers of DisruptJ20 to not lie when they get questioned by the FBI about their plans to attack President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday.

In a new report, however, those same organizers claim they purposely exaggerated their plans in order to invoke the chaos they were seeking. While we’re not sure that’s exactly the kind of admission they would want to make, here’s what they said in an interview with U.S. News & World Report:

By virtue of us making those claims, it whips people up into the kind of panic that accidentally ends up causing the chaos we want. You can say “all of Metro is being blockaded” and people will stay home.

The group now claims it’s purposely scaling back its plans to disrupt the inauguration, not because of O’Keefe’s videos, but rather because of construction-related road closures that already preclude their activities. Still, they’re trying to claim victory.

Following O’Keefe’s first video, they released the following statement:

DisruptJ20 proudly carries forward the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

King participated in civil disobedience to raise unprecedented awareness of the ills of racism, poverty and militarism. Today, we commemorate him by planning acts of civil disobedience in the streets and in the open during the Inauguration. We have been transparent in these intentions for the entire duration of our organizing.

Over the last few weeks, we have exposed four confirmed infiltrators who have tried to integrate themselves into our organizing. These are people who were working with James O’Keefe and Project Veritas. We must make this clear: These groups are doing the dirty work of Nazis, white nationalists and other groups who are furthering Trump’s assault on vulnerable communities.

Two infiltrators appeared at an antifascist organizing meeting and immediately fell under suspicion due to their vague backstories, poor education about our movement and unusual dress. Social media checks showed that one, who called herself “Tarah,” was a failed actress who was friends on Facebook with James O’Keefe.

One of these infiltrators was someone calling himself “Tyler.” Due to suspicions, the organizers initiated their vetting process with a false flag operation. Our allies at the DC Antifascist Coalition met with Tyler. Because they thought it would be a humorous venue, they arranged to meet with Tyler at Comet Ping Pong, which has recently been targeted by right-wing fake news outlets. Though the coalition members did not know who he was working for, they knew Tyler was not who he said he was. So, they met in advance of their meeting with Tyler and planned to give him false information about the what they felt was the most humorous red herring available: a false plot to use stink bombs at an event called the Deploraball with the so-called “Alt Right.” Tyler, as it turned out, was recording a video for Project Veritas.

False plans were discussed with Tyler. They spoke of false plans in order to protect themselves, and did not discuss any real intentions. It is laughable that Project Veritas believes that organizers would discuss secret “stink bomb” plans with an unknown individual in a public venue. Project Veritas’ lack of judgment portrays the poor quality of their work.

The group had, however, purchased tickets to the Deploraball for the purpose of videotaping.

“The group had no intention of causing any damage or disruption at the Deploraball,” said one of our organizers, who appears in the Veritas video. “Instead, the intent was to capture on video any compromising moments from the performers or speakers, such as the Nazi salutes that similar groups gave in November, broadcast widely by The Atlantic.”

Other infiltrators include Marissa, who, using her real first name, appeared at a small planning meeting on Saturday, Jan. 7, with brown hair and all-American demeanor. Then the same woman appeared with dyed neon red hair and heavy gothic makeup to our DisruptJ20 Action Camp on Saturday, Jan. 14. She was recognized immediately and promptly escorted away from the event.

At every meeting, we reaffirm our commitment to not harming anyone. We stand by our principles and are committed to building the broadest possible resistance to Trump’s agenda.

Wednesday afternoon, O’Keefe provided a video update indicating there have been new legal developments based on both videos he released this week. He also shared he was interviewed for Sean Hannity’s nationally syndicated radio program with a reporter from The Huffington Post who validated Project Veritas’ work.

You can see that video above. {eoa}