Ex-FBI agent and Pentagon contractor sues over secret recording showing him criticizing Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — A erstwhile FBI cause and Pentagon contractor has sued the founder of a blimpish nonprofit known for its hidden camera stings implicit secretly recorded videos showing the contractor criticizing President Donald Trump to a pistillate helium thought helium had taken connected a date.

Jamie Mannina says successful his suit that helium was misled by a pistillate helium met connected a dating website who held herself retired arsenic a politically wide caregiver but who was really moving with the blimpish activistic James O'Keefe successful a sting cognition designed to induce Mannina into making “inflammatory and damaging” remarks that could beryllium recorded, “manipulated” and posted online.

Clips from their January conversations were spliced unneurotic to marque it look that Mannina was “essentially attempting to motorboat an unlawful coup against President Trump,” and an nonfiction released online with the videos defamed Mannina by coating him arsenic portion of a “deep state” effort with elder subject officials to undermine Trump's presidency, according to the suit filed Wednesday successful national tribunal successful Washington.

Mannina does not contradict successful the suit making the comments. He says his words were taken retired of discourse and were misrepresented successful a statement of the video that was posted connected YouTube.

O'Keefe founded Project Veritas successful 2010 but was removed from the enactment successful 2023 amid allegations that helium mistreated workers and misspent funds. He has continued to employment akin hidden camera stings arsenic portion of a caller enactment helium established, O'Keefe Media Group, which besides is named successful the lawsuit.

O’Keefe told The Associated Press that Mannina “voluntarily” offered up the comments successful the signaling and that it was important for the nationalist to perceive Mannina's remarks. O'Keefe pointed retired that the District of Columbia lone requires the consent of 1 party, not both, for a speech to beryllium recorded. O'Keefe said the suit was an “attack connected the First Amendment” and that helium was prepared to combat it successful an appeals tribunal if necessary.

“He said what helium said. We did not instrumentality him retired of context. The words that we reported came retired of his mouth,” O’Keefe said, adding, “We basal by our reporting.”

The suit includes claims of defamation, mendacious light, fraudulent misrepresentation and violations of the Wire Tap Act. Though the suit acknowledges that the city's consent instrumentality for signaling conversations, the filing asserts that the instrumentality nevertheless prohibits “the interception and signaling of a connection if it was for the purposes of committing a tortious act.”

A signaling that O’Keefe released shows Mannina being asked astatine 1 constituent by the woman, whose sanction was not disclosed successful the lawsuit, astir his “overall appraisal of Trump.”

“He’s a sociopathic narcissist who’s lone funny successful advancing his name, his wealthiness and his fame,” Mannina tin beryllium heard saying. Asked successful the signaling whether determination was thing helium could bash to “protect the American people,” Mannina replied that helium was successful speech with immoderate retired generals to research what could beryllium done.

The suit was filed by Mark Zaid, a salient Washington lawyer who routinely represents authorities officials and whistleblowers. Zaid himself was sued Trump past week aft the president revoked his information clearance.

“Lying oregon misleading idiosyncratic connected a dating app, which nary uncertainty happens each the time, is not what this suit seeks to address,” Zaid said successful a connection to The Associated Press. “The instauration of a fake illustration for the circumstantial purposes of targeting individuals for deliberately nefarious and harmful purposes is what crosses the line.”

The ailment arises from a brace of dates that Mannina had successful January. During their archetypal date, the suit alleges, the pistillate expressed her distaste for Trump and repeatedly pressed Mannina connected his governmental views and astir his enactment with the government. Mannina told her that included moving arsenic a “spy catcher” respective years earlier erstwhile helium was an FBI counterintelligence agent.

The suit says Mannina and the pistillate met for luncheon the pursuing day, and arsenic they near the restaurant, a antheral with a microphone approached Mannina and said, “Jamie, you’re a spy hunter, you say. Well, I’m a spy hunter, too, but I’m evidentially a amended spy huntsman than you.” The antheral was O’Keefe, the suit says.

The ailment says Mannina was swiftly fired from Booz Allen, wherever helium worked arsenic a contractor, aft O'Keefe contacted the property bureau and presented astatine slightest parts of the videos.

O'Keefe past released a video connected his organization's YouTube transmission titled, “Pentagon Advisor Reveals Conversation ‘to Explore What We Can Do’ to ‘Protect People from Trump.’"

The suit says the O'Keefe Media Group painted Mannina successful a mendacious airy by misconstruing his words and his title, including by referring to him arsenic a “Top Pentagon Advisor” erstwhile helium was really conscionable “one of a countless fig of defence contractors.” It says that characterization was intended to enactment "fabricated claims that Mr. Mannina was fundamentally attempting to motorboat an unlawful coup against President Trump.”

The suit does not straight accidental wherefore Mannina was targeted, but it does enactment that successful 2017, erstwhile helium was moving astatine the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, helium published 3 articles successful the Huffington Post and The Hill paper that were captious of Trump.