Trump Inauguration Sting Operation: Conservative Group Caught Trying To Pay Liberals To Riot

A counter-sting operation by a progressive group caught James O’Keefe’s conservative organization, Project Veritas, attempting to pay liberals to wreak havoc during Trump’s inauguration. However, as Ryan Grim at The Huffington Post succinctly stated, in this latest sting operation, the stinger got stung.

O’Keefe’s ill-fated attempt to use cash to lure progressive groups into disrupting Trump’s inauguration saw Project Veritas’ Allison Maass caught red-handed once again. Maass was also recently caught trying to infiltrate Russ Feingold’s senate campaign by lying about her background as a Democratic activist. However, according to The Huffington Post, that sting operation also quickly unraveled, thanks in part to Maass’ supposedly conservative hairstyle and gas-guzzling transportation.

“The Feingold sting apparently fell apart thanks to profiling on the part of the campaign. The would-be infiltrator was blonde and drove a big white pickup truck, which staff said was part of the tipoff.”

Project Veritas is known for releasing highly-edited sting operations against liberal organizations. However, after the targets of O’Keefe’s latest attempt at a sting operation recognized Maass, a counter-sting operation was orchestrated by Lauren Windsor at The Undercurrent. This karmic turn of events caught the conservative group attempting to pay progressive activists to disrupt Trump’s inauguration, successfully exposing the false flag plot by O’Keefe to smear liberal groups.

As the sting/counter-sting operations unfolded, with both sides presumably recording the conversation in secret, Maass pretended to speak on behalf of a liberal donor who wanted Trump’s inauguration to be met with protests and riots. However, unbeknownst to Maass, progressive activist Ryan Clayton knew he was being targeted by the conservative group. As Clayton recorded Maass’ attempts to pay him for potentially illegal activities, Maass can be heard offering to pay large sums of money to liberal activists if they “put a stop to the inauguration.” The would-be infiltrator was also recorded saying that the donor she represented had “unlimited resources,” and would approve of efforts such as shutting down bridges in D.C. during the inauguration.

“We just want to see the biggest impact. He’d like to turn on the TV and maybe not even see Trump. Put a stop to the inauguration…interrupt the parties. I think that would make him ultimately the happiest, and wanting to open up his wallet.”

Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks explained why the failed sting operation was severely flawed, not only in the legal sense but also in regards to basic human decency.

“That is not only deeply problematic legally, but think about it for a second morally. What if it had worked and they had started a riot? What are you doing? That’s not a sting operation. That is incredibly dangerous. Here are conservative groups posing as liberals trying to start violence in the streets on inauguration day.”

Uygur’s co-host, Ana Kasparian agreed, saying that the goal for the conservative group appeared to be smearing liberals and progressives as violent.

“Look, we see this happening with all kinds of political movements that conservatives don’t agree with. Occupy Wall Street, they’ll send provocateurs to the camps in order to make it seem like the people who are protesting are violent and looting.”

In Eric Byler’s exclusive for The Young Turks, counter-strike organizer Lauren Windsor caught up with Maass immediately after the sting operation.

“You think that it’s ok to pay people to commit crimes? Isn’t that what you do? You set people up that way? You offer them money to commit crimes? You know that’s illegal right?”

According to Clayton, after being confronted with the potentially illegal nature of the sting operation, Maass reportedly stated, ” I feel like I need a lawyer.”

Explaining the success of the counter-strike operation, Clayton analyzed the strategy typically used by Project Veritas.

“Normally, they would take that video and cut it up deceptively and edit it. They would say something, and then I would agree, and they would leave that out, that they had been the ones that had said it in the first place. That’s kinda their M.O. But in this case, they can’t do that, because we got the whole audio. They’re trying to pay people to break the law at inauguration. That is against the law.”

Last year, O’Keefe was invited to a presidential debate by Donald Trump. Trump’s charitable foundation has also donated to Project Veritas in the past.

[Featured Image by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]