A White House staffer has been put on leave after a right-wing activist recorded him trashing President Donald Trump, and he’s not the first government employee to get caught in such a sting.
Benjamin Ellisten, a senior budget analyst in the administration, was recorded by a woman working with O’Keefe Media Group.
It appears in the video released this week that Ellisten believed he was on a date, but the woman he was talking to actually working for an activist known for producing sting videos.
At the beginning of the date, Ellisten appeared to be showing off his credentials, even showing the operative his official badging. But soon he launched into a rant about the president.
“We have to get rid of Trump,” he told the woman. “Seriously, he’s a mess. He’s f—ked it up for everybody. Everybody!”
Ellisten also said he was upset with Trump’s ballroom, saying the president wants to add a “secret basement for the military.” He added that he was worried the ballroom was “all being funded by private donations. No one knows where the money is coming from.”
Republican senators have also proposed a $1 billion package for “above and below ground” security enhancements, such as bulletproof glass and drone-detection technology.
The White House has yet to comment on the video, but many people online had a lot to say.
“LOL, they know now, Ben. You will find out on your exit interview,” Chuck Gorman wrote on Facebook.
“You’re F-I-R-E-D,” Paige Sharpe Schoonover joked, referring to Trump’s former reality show.
“So much for his faith in online dating!” Lydia Abel added.
“Very revealing…next stop…investigation and indictment,” John Richard wrote.
According to Newsmax, the White House issued a response distancing themselves from Ellisten.
“This individual has been placed on administrative leave while we conduct a review and investigation,” the statement read. “He has no direct access to the President or Senior Staff, and does not work on the White House campus. Such views expressed by the individual are not reflective of patriots who admirably serve in the administration.”
Right-wing activist James O’Keefe, CEO of O’Keefe Media Group, said Wednesday that the Trump administration denied his group access to White House press credentials.
“The White House press team is actively denying my correspondent from obtaining White House Press Credentials,” O’Keefe wrote on X. “This has been going on for over a month. Our team has asked every question as to why this is happening. We even issued a legal inquiry to the WH legal counsel about this issue.”
He is known for his “guerrilla journalism” and for undercover videos shot with hidden cameras.
O’Keefe said the White House simply responded: “I don’t think we will be able to accommodate you anytime in the near future.” He added that the language from the press team has changed, including asking journalists what they plan to cover.
Ellisten isn’t the only politican O’Keefe’s team has exposed.
A video put out last month that showed Department of the Army nuclear Chief Andrew Hugg giving away classified information. He has since been fired.
NPR reports another federal employee, Brandon Wright, was caught by O’Keefe. Wright was a rank-and-file tech worker at the Department of Homeland Security.
Wright told NPR a woman by the name of “Heidi” reached out to him on a dating app, claiming to have similar interests, but it turned out she was an operative with O’Keefe.
“She sat down and immediately began asking me about, ‘So is there anything else you want to tell me about your political views?’ And at that moment my body started going, ‘Something’s wrong.'”
NPR reports Wright was caught on camera saying Kristi Noem, who at the time was Trump’s nominee to lead the Homeland Security Department, was not a smart person.
Wright claims he and his ex-wife have recieved threats. NPR reported he has since filed a lawsuit against O’Keefe.
It’s unclear if any of the other officials O’Keefe “exposed” will file lawsuits.
“Our credo is fighting for the First Amendment, freedom of the press, and reporting the truth,” O’Keefe wrote on X. “We understand not everyone will like our reporting, but that is your right. Our job is to report the truth and the facts so that YOU, the American public, can be a more informed people.”
