May 12, 2026 02:39 PM UTC

Trump Stung By His Own Stinger?

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• by: Colorado Pols

Longtime readers and others familiar with the dark underbelly of right-wing political organizating in the 2010s will recall the name James O’Keefe, an early example of the kind of undercover political gotcha gaming that has become commonplace in the wild and woolly era of video cameras in every pocket. O’Keefe’s shock first and ask questions later approach to what he called “investigative journalism” got him into considerable legal trouble for attempting to tamper with the phone lines of a U.S. Senator, and his heavy reliance on selective editing to produce wildly deceptive “exposures” has left him with, to put it politely, serious credibility issues. O’Keefe’s so-called “Project Veritas” organization folded a few years ago after losing a six-digit lawsuit filed by the liberal group Democracy Partners, which put a stop to the group’s by-then heavily discredited infiltration tactics.

WHITE HOUSE CONFESSIONS: President Trump’s Special Assistant on the White House Domestic Policy Council Admits Advisors Make Decisions Based on What “Feels Like a Good Idea,” Says “There’s No Cost-Benefit,” Reveals WH Staff Independently Shape Domestic Policy Based on Their Own… pic.twitter.com/03zNK3MB3q

— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) May 12, 2026

Or so we thought! Today, O’Keefe is once again shaking the news establishment with damaging undercover video. But this time, as low-integrity conservative rag Daily Caller reports, it’s the Trump administration in the viewfinder:

The White House placed a top administration official on leave after an undercover sting operation revealed his deep disdain for President Donald Trump.

Benjamin Ellisten, a senior budget analyst and funding manager for the White House, told James O’Keefe’s undercover journalist that Trump is a “madman” who is “f*cking it up for everybody.” Ellisten, who has worked at the White House since 2024, has since been placed on administrative leave, a White House official told the Daily Caller.

“He has no direct access to the President or Senior Staff, and does not work on the White House campus,” the official told the Caller. “Such views expressed by the individual are not reflective of patriots who admirably serve in the Administration.”

For the first and hopefully only time ever, we’re linking to leading source of far-right fever dreams Gateway Pundit:

The O’Keefe Media Group on Tuesday released undercover video of White House insiders bragging about internal subversion against President Trump.

Maxim Lott, a Special Assistant to President Trump on the White House Domestic Policy Council, admitted to the OMG undercover journalist that domestic policy decisions are often made based on what “feels like a good idea.”

“In theory, everything should sort of come from the president…But it might come from the level below him [Trump] where they’re like, ‘I think I know the president well enough to say what he would say on this,’” he said.

Benjamin Ellisten, a Budget Analyst Manager within the Executive Office of the President, expressed, “We have to get rid of Trump.”

Why is this important, you ask? As Trump’s popularity declines from abysmal to truly catastrophic for Republicans facing a historic wipeout in the November elections, Republicans are going to start pointing fingers below the level of the President to spread the blame. A story of subordinates of Trump openly disparaging Trump’s leadership, and suggesting top officials follow their own “interpretations” of what they think the boss wants, is exactly the narrative Republicans need to turn against the Trump administration without turning against Trump personally–a pivot about to be necessary for their political survival.

If that was the intention, there’s just one problem: most Americans agree with Benjamin Ellisten’s assessment of Trump as a “madman.” And when Maxim Lott says this administration is running on feels not numbers, that’s consistent with what Americans are seeing play out every day.

At the end of the day, this attempt to shield Trump only frightens Americans more. And that’s what truly makes it noteworthy.