James O’Keefe definitely has a flair for the dramatic.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you are aware of the controversy sparked by Project Veritas’ Board of Directors’ dispute with O’Keefe. It was a mess. It was a fight that the Board was bound to lose, and I still don’t have a clear idea of what the Board thought they were going to accomplish by picking a fight with O’Keefe.

Love him or hate him, O’Keefe is a tenacious fighter who gets results. He has done more damage to the reputation of establishment figures than most conservative activists, and he knows how to attract loyalty from supporters and put a knife into the backs of his enemies.

Why make him an enemy?

O’Keefe famously walked out the door of Project Veritas in February after the Board relieved him of both his position and his salary, although they deny that they fired him. I’m not clear on what their definition of firing somebody is, but generally taking away your job and your salary indicates that you no longer work for an organization. Sounds like firing to me.

Since his departure O’Keefe has been hinting about starting a new venture, and it has arrived. There have been hints about his new strategy for getting scoops, but no announcement until now.

Well, wait no longer. O’Keefe promised, now he has delivered.

We are here to empower citizens through journalism. Subscribe & join us today! https://t.co/ycJ5DodrsK pic.twitter.com/RwefvTHcnv

— Okeefe Media (@OkeefeMedia) March 15, 2023

The video is kinda weird, but it certainly is attention getting. Almost parodic in tone. I am not quite clear what he was going for, except perhaps to be attention getting. It worked for me, I can tell you. I clicked on over to his website to see what he was up to.

O’Keefe Media Group is building an army of investigators and exposers along with the most elite journalists in the world. In the coming months you will see this army expanding across the country, every statehouse, every city council, every school board and everywhere people are conspiring to keep themselves in power, practice favoritism, or line their pockets with tax dollars.

Are you passionate about the O’Keefe Media Group’s effort to bring truth through journalism to the American public? Become a Founding Member to not only promote our vision but to sponsor the work of our hard-working journalists.

There aren’t a lot of details yet about the plan–just a fundraising pitch. But there have been hints if you follow O’Keefe’s personal Twitter account.

In particular, it seems like he will be recruiting “citizen journalists” and equipping them with hidden cameras. “Building an army” of people who will help him expose the inner workings of the Left.

Don't let it just become a good tweeted idea. You can make this happen, you have influence. You don't need 100k people. Just start with 15, then 50. When you start moving people will be standing in line to join your ranks

— Orange.Zed (@orange_zed) March 12, 2023

What would this look like in practice? Would it be a force for good, or a force for division?

Probably both. Although you could argue that the division is here, and this will only increase the Right’s ability to document it. No doubt many of the army will be confrontational with Leftists, and that will notch the tension up. On the other hand, the Left has an army of blackshirts harassing conservatives everywhere already.

As a former member of the intellectual establishment I still long for the day when we could argue about things civilly, but even I understand we are far past that point. You may have noticed, but I am not a model of civility when dealing with the worst aspects of the Left.

Will O’Keefe succeed in his venture and move the ball forward? The proof will be in the pudding, I suppose.