Videos claim to show members of teachers union using racial slurs, disparaging Christie
TRENTON — A series of videos produced by conservative activist James O'Keefe showing members of the New Jersey Education Association using racial slurs and chanting about kicking Gov. Chris Christie "in the toolbox" are compiled of authentic footage, according to a spokesman for O'Keefe.
The videos, apparently shot at the NJEA leadership conference at the East Brunswick Hilton, were taken by concerned citizens who struck up natural conversations with conference attendees, said Shane Cory, a spokesman for The Project Veritas, O'Keefe's organization.
The videos show people identified as teachers talking about how difficult it is to fire a tenured teacher, and laughing about playing arcade games "on their dime."
"There was no acting going on," said Cory. "Individuals, just common citizens went in and were able to capture this audio and video by just striking up conversations with folks."
The NJEA dismissed any work by O'Keefe saying the 26-year-old is "completely and utterly discredited."
"It’s James O’Keefe and that’s all you need to know," said NJEA spokesman Steve Baker, citing O'Keefe's legal troubles in the past.
Baker said the audio and video were manipulated and dubbed.
"He admits that he uses actors to supply some of the lines," Baker said, citing a report in The Asbury Park Press.
But, Cory said, "there was no acting going on."
The footage was edited because there are hours and hours of footage, he said.
"There was no additional words or voices applied to the videos," Cory said.
Editor's Note: The name of James O'Keefe's spokesman was misstated. His name is Shane Cory.
O'Keefe pleaded guilty in May to misdemeanor charges after entering the offices of Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu while posing as telephone repairmen. The 26-year-old grew up in Bergen County and attended Rutgers University.
Previous coverage:
• Video released by conservative activist claims to show undercover footage at NJEA conference
James O'Keefe, left, in this January photo.Related coverage:
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