O'Keefe Media Undercover Footage: Two White House budget officials say Trump is “dangerous”

According to a May 12 report by O’Keefe Media, political activist and journalist James O’Keefe recently released an undercover video on his program “On The Inside,” showing two men working in the White House making critical remarks about President Trump during conversations with an undercover reporter. O’Keefe Media explicitly stated in its report that the relevant clips have not yet been independently verified.

Lott’s Recorded Comments and Written Response

According to O’Keefe Media’s report, Maxim Lott is a special assistant to the President’s Domestic Policy Council. In the video, Lott said that some decisions by the Domestic Policy Council may not have come directly from Trump, but instead from staff members who believed they “knew the president well enough” to predict his positions; he also said Trump may not know that the council is studying certain issues. Using the policy of intercepting “garbage phone” calls as an example, Lott pointed out that the relevant work was based on staff members’ inferences about Trump’s stance, rather than direct orders from the president.

According to O’Keefe Media’s report, after the program aired, Lott provided a written statement saying, “Anything I said did not contradict the position of this administration. I will continue to do everything I can to help implement its agenda.” In his statement, Lott did not deny that the meetings took place.

Allistion’s Statements and Unverified Allegations

According to O’Keefe Media’s report, Allistion is a senior budget analyst and funds manager in the President’s Executive Office. In the video, Allistion said Trump is “very dangerous,” and that “we must get rid of Trump”; he said Trump acts recklessly because he believes “nothing can stop him,” and said, “He’s unstoppable—that’s very dangerous.”

O’Keefe Media’s report also mentioned the following allegations raised by Allistion in the video: questioning the nature of private donations related to renovations of the White House dining hall; claiming that taxpayer funds might be used to modify a Boeing 747 aircraft given to Qatar; and accusing some people in the government of potentially profiting from fluctuations in crude oil prices after the escalation of the U.S.-Iran conflict. O’Keefe Media explicitly described the above allegations as unverified but newsworthy. Allistion did not provide substantive comments to O’Keefe Media’s program.

FAQ

What are the identities of the two White House officials in the O’Keefe Media video?

According to O’Keefe Media’s report, the two officials are Maxim Lott, a special assistant to the President’s Domestic Policy Council, and Allistion, a senior budget analyst and funds manager in the President’s Executive Office.

What does O’Keefe Media itself say about the reliability of the video?

According to O’Keefe Media’s report, the full unedited video has not yet been released, and the relevant clips have not yet been independently verified; the media clearly labeled Allistion’s insider trading allegations as “unverified but newsworthy.”

What formal response did Lott give to the statements in the video?

According to O’Keefe Media’s report, after the program aired, Lott provided a written statement saying that his remarks did not contradict the position of this administration, and said he would continue to help carry out the government’s agenda; Lott did not deny that the meetings took place.