Twitter permanently suspends Project Veritas and founder James O'Keefe; both restored after 2022 Musk acquisition
On February 11, 2021, Twitter permanently suspended the organizational account of Project Veritas, citing its private-information policy after the group published video filmed at the home of a Facebook executive. On April 15, 2021, Twitter separately suspended founder James O'Keefe's personal account, alleging he had 'operated fake accounts' — a claim O'Keefe denied and made the basis of a defamation lawsuit in New York state court. Both accounts were restored after Elon Musk's October 2022 Twitter acquisition.
Dates: Project Veritas suspension February 11, 2021; O'Keefe personal suspension April 15, 2021; restorations November 2022. Parties: Project Veritas; James O'Keefe; Twitter/X; Elon Musk. What happened: Twitter cited its private-information policy in suspending the Project Veritas account over an undercover video. Twitter publicly stated O'Keefe's personal suspension was because he operated 'fake accounts'; O'Keefe disputed this characterization and sued Twitter for defamation in New York state court. Twitter's stated reasons: Private-information policy (organization); operating fake accounts (O'Keefe). Project Veritas and O'Keefe's allegations: Retaliatory political censorship of investigative journalism; defamatory false claim about operating fake accounts. Outcome: Both accounts restored after the Musk acquisition. O'Keefe's defamation litigation was ongoing at that time; disposition not fully public. O'Keefe later resigned from Project Veritas in February 2023 over unrelated internal disputes.