The Public Broadcasting Service announced Tuesday that principal counsel Michael Beller has been fired following a new investigative report from Project Veritas that showcased Beller telling a journalist on camera that he would “Go to the White House and throw Molotov cocktails” if Donald Trump won the presidential election, and proposing that “we go for all the Republican voters, Homeland Security will take their children away, and put them into re-education camps.”
In a statement from PBS, the corporation stated, “This employee no longer works for PBS. As a mid-level staff attorney, he did not speak on behalf of our organization, nor did he make any editorial decisions… There is no place for hateful rhetoric at PBS, and this individual’s views in no way reflect our values or opinions.”
“There is no place for hateful rhetoric at PBS, and this individual’s views in no way reflect our values or opinions.” (2/3)
— PBS PressRoom (@PBSPressRoom) January 12, 2021
Project Veritas’ James O’Keefe mocked PBS’ claim that Beller was a “mid-level staff attorney,” citing Beller’s official title as principal counsel.
Principal Counsel = "mid-level"
— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) January 12, 2021
Beller had been caught on video by Project Veritas calling Americans “f**king dumb” and comparing President Trump to 1930s German Chancellor Adolf Hitler.
The lawyer also claimed he would “go to the White House and throw Molotov cocktails if Joe Biden lost the presidential election, elaborating that even if Biden won, “we go for all the Republican voters, Homeland Security will take their children away, and put them into re-education camps.”
So is Michael Beller on a no-fly list now after threatening to throw Molotov cocktails at the @WhiteHouse? pic.twitter.com/W3R9XUCmlO
— Project Veritas (@Project_Veritas) January 12, 2021
O’Keefe has promised to release more video footage of Beller, stating that the former PBS attorney called the police when confronted by O’Keefe in regards to the violent “Molotov cocktails” rhetoric.