By Cheyenne West | Staff
In Part 1 of our interview with Anna Khait we learned about her background, including how her family immigrated to America from the Soviet Union when she was 4 years old, seeking better opportunities and the political and religious freedoms not afforded in her homeland.
Her father, who is Jewish, and her mother who later became a Christian in America, chose the heavily Russian-populated neighborhood of Brighton Beach, NY as the place to raise Anna and her sibling sister. There, Anna excelled in athletics, and dreamt of one day being on her favorite TV show ‘Survivor.’ After graduating high school, she put off plans to attend medical school to pursue her new passion, poker.
After becoming the first female poker player on Survivor, Anna found herself unfulfilled. During this time her eyes were opened to the immoral path the country she had grown to love was on, and recognized “success” and worldly possessions don’t bring true happiness. It was during this time she became a born-again Christian, and with her new-found faith in God she transitioned into the next phase of her life.
Anna spent time researching the major issues affecting her generation, specifically child sex trafficking and the fentanyl epidemic – the single deadliest drug threat in our nation’s history. She became passionate about speaking out and traveled the country warning high school youths about the dangers.
After becoming the first reality television star to publicly support then Presidential candidate Donald Trump, Anna was invited to speak at an event for the ‘California Federation of Republican Women.’ It was there she met James O’Keefe, the founder of Project Veritas whose mission was to “investigate and expose corruption, dishonesty, self-dealing, waste, fraud, and other misconduct in both public and private institutions in order to achieve a more ethical and transparent society.”
A few days later O’Keefe offered Anna a job with his organization.
Update: James O’Keefe Out At Project Veritas
Three weeks after a video that racked up 50 million views was released exposing a person described as a “director of research and development for Pfizer” telling an undercover Project Veritas journalist the company planned to “mutate” the COVID-19 virus, a “high-profile board dispute” at Project Veritas ensued, leading to the ouster of its founder, James O’Keefe.
“Misuse of company resources” and bizarre allegations and grievances against O’Keefe were disputed by at least one donor, Dianna Remmers, who came to O’Keefe’s defense clarifying – a report insinuating he was “extremely rude” toward her was “completely blown out of proportion.”
Remmers explained the incident in question involved O’Keefe not taking a picture with her at an event in Florida when she asked.
“He had a lot of people running at him, asking for different things and he wasn’t thrilled about getting a picture at that moment, but he did. After that we had a great conversation… we’ve become great friends.”
On February 27, 2023 O’Keefe announced, “I have been stripped of my authority as CEO and removed from the board of Directors.”
After the stunning announcement O’Keefe launched a new media group, OMG (O’Keefe Media Group) stating, “We can never be shut down again, because not only do I own it, but you do too.”
Part 2: Anna Khait In Her Own Words
Cheyenne: “What was it like working undercover”?
Anna: “It was an amazing experience, and I was actually never going to tell anyone that I worked undercover. I did it anonymously to serve my country. I asked the Lord (for guidance), I said ‘Lord I want to be involved politically, what should I do?’ I wanted to serve my country, but I didn’t want to join the military and strap on a gun and go to war, so when the opportunity to investigate political organizations came up, I was all-in.
I gave up a year of my life. When you work undercover, you have to shut off all your social media. For nine months, I didn’t use any of it. I actually deleted my Instagram, which my friends thought I was crazy because I just got off Survivor and I was gaining a lot of followers, but I deleted my Instagram anyway. It all seemed so vain to me, after giving my life to Jesus.
I deleted my Facebook. I deactivated my Twitter. That was always my favorite platform so I kept Twitter, but I wasn’t active on it. It was hard at first not to have social media but it was so freeing! I was always on the road, sometimes in three cities in one day, and two states in one day. I was on the road six out of seven days of the week going to different states and different investigations. Some investigations lasted months. It was really fun. It was eye opening for sure.”
Cheyenne: “How did the ‘honeypot’ phrase even come about?”
Anna: “Well, I don’t even know. I actually didn’t even know what the word honeypot meant.”
Cheyenne: “I had never heard of it. I googled it. I never heard of it.”
Anna: “Yeah, I had to google it too and I cried. That’s a nasty salacious term. Honeypot means, the google definition states, ‘someone who uses sex to set somebody up to destroy them.’ Interesting because that’s not at all what undercover journalism is and what I was a part of. I mean honeypots are basically spies.
I wasn’t a spy. I was an undercover journalist, you know, the same kind of job that the New York Times (NYT) used to do but doesn’t do anymore. Now, they just push an agenda. I thought that they would be happy to see my investigations concluded with communists fired from the Department of State. I thought they would be pleased to see socialist teachers fired for indoctrinating children. I thought it would be a good thing; something to celebrate. Instead, I got attacked and slandered.
“In fact, instead of uncovering facts, they’re covering up facts. They’re covering up the truth. They’re lying to the American people.“
My investigations were going viral across social media and major News outlets. I never took credit for my work. I never said, ‘this is me.’ I always kept it a secret. I never did it for clout.
The only people who knew were my parents and very close friends, until the NYT exposed me and attacked me for it.
There were a lot of journalists working at Project Veritas at the same time on different investigations. Project Veritas was created by James O’Keefe because the NYT and the other big media organizations weren’t doing their job anymore.
In fact, instead of uncovering facts, they’re covering up facts. They’re covering up the truth. They’re lying to the American people.
And I thought, well, if you’re not going to do it then I will! I’ll use the skills I learned from poker and expose the truth. I’ll use the gifts God gave me to uncover the truth and show the American people what is being hidden from them.
Most politicians say one thing privately and another thing publicly. And the people deserve to know. There are background deals going on all the time.
For example, even Republicans – same thing. They do the same thing; they also take bribes and do backroom deals. They take lobbyist money and serve their “masters” instead of the American people they took an oath to protect and represent. They do what their donors tell them to do, so that needed to be exposed on both sides.
So, I thought ok, I want to be a part of that. I want to expose the truth and ask them basic questions that Americans want to know. But somehow, the media conglomerate doesn’t like that… and viciously attacked me, James, and the other journalists.
Most of my investigations were of communists working in the government. I lived in DC for a few months and infiltrated DSA, Democratic Socialists of America, the DC chapter, which by the way are open communists. They have it all on video.
They openly said ‘Oh, we’re communists, I’m a Leninists, I’m a Trotskyist, I’m a Stalinist.’ I mean actual communists! It’s the same ideology that destroyed my native country, Russia. You have a right to believe whatever you want, but these people are in the American government! Socialism never works. It always destroys a country and turns into communism. Look at Venezuela.
And so when I infiltrated DSA, I didn’t even wear any makeup. I didn’t even wear deodorant. I mean, I kid you not, I had on a t-shirt, baggy pants, didn’t even do my hair, and had my glasses on. But the NYT called me a honeypot? [Laughing] I was just shocked. If they only saw what I looked like, they would have called me a vinegar pot.
But obviously the fact that I’m a female, who wears makeup and loves fashion, they think ‘Ok well she was just using her sexy looks and sex to get information.’ Couldn’t be farther from the truth. I didn’t need sex; I was good at my job. I didn’t even kiss anyone for a story. Especially, just being a born-again Christian, I wouldn’t do that in front of my Jesus.
Sometimes, there were follow up meetings. I investigated all types of people: Department of State, EPA, and other organizations, but I was never alone. When I met them for lunch, it was always in a public setting. I always had my security guard behind me (who was also filming b-roll) which shows I was never alone with anyone I was investigating.
In the investigations, I asked a lot of questions. If they thought I was interested, that’s on them. I never flirted with anyone I investigated. I never led them on. Most of the time, I got what I suspected in the first meeting, and of course it went viral.
There is nothing I did that I regret. It was a super fun and exciting job. Regardless of what the NYT and poker news media printed; God knows the truth.
“PokerNews and other outlets quickly ran defamatory stories like “Anna Khait Implicated in plot to spy on The FBI” since they assumed the NYT was talking about me, and hey, they got lots of clicks for their website.“
When the salacious hit piece came out, I was shocked. What I found funny was that the NYT alluded ‘some journalists may have investigated the FBI.’ They never mentioned any names. They never said it was a fact, it was all “allegedly”. It’s a common trick the media deploys to destroy people without being held liable in court. I wish they mentioned my name. I would have sued them for defamation!
PokerNews and other outlets quickly ran defamatory stories titled “Anna Khait Implicated in plot to spy on The FBI” since they assumed the NYT was talking about me, and hey, they got lots of clicks for their website. They heard from my lawyer and quickly took the articles down. But the damage was already done.
I knew we never investigated the FBI. I certainly didn’t, but I wanted to make sure. So, I called James O’Keefe that night. I asked, ‘did anyone ever investigate the FBI?’ He said ‘Nope, we are journalists Anna, not spies. That would have been espionage and we’re not stupid.’
I got to see firsthand what fake news looks like and feels like. I’d say over 90% of the NYT article was completely fabricated. I know Tarah Price personally. She’s a sweetheart. Everything they said about her was complete nonsense. None of it was true. Yes, she’s a beautiful girl. But we had all types of journalists working there. A few were beautiful. It was just a salacious attack on her reputation, and everyone else in the organization.
And I want to say this about James O’Keefe and Project Veritas, it was an honor to work with them. One of the biggest thrills of my life. Maybe one day it’ll turn into a book or a movie. But what I appreciated most about working with James was his journalistic integrity. He never published a story unless he had two or three corroborating witnesses. And there were many stories he could have published for the clickbait. We had it on camera. He always said, we still need to get someone to corroborate that accusation.
Some of the stories were about Twitter and the Chinese government, big stories, he refused to release because we didn’t have a second witness. Even with Ashley Biden’s diary. He didn’t have a corroborating witness to authenticate it, so he called his lawyer and gave it to the police. And what happened to him? He was raided by the FBI and made to look like a criminal.
Everything the organization (Project Veritas) did was by the books. Everything was legal. I saw it myself. They always told me to follow the law. Everything was done with integrity and the highest morals and ethics.
I wasn’t surprised when random people on the internet made false judgements about me, but it was the poker community that shocked me the most. So many poker friends could have called me and asked me if it was true, but they never did. Instead, they went on the attack and viciously slandered me.
No poker news organization ever reached out to me for comment. They just ran the story and accused me of being the one the NYT alluded to, without any evidence. They eventually retracted their stories. But, like I said, the damage was already done.
Many people called me a spy, started blogs about me, threatened me, and said they hoped I get arrested or died.
The first few hours were tough after the story broke, so I turned off all my social media. I’m so grateful for God because He really saw me through it. He reminded me of the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.'” (Matthew 5:8)
Cheyenne: “Did PokerNews explain why they retracted the article?”
Anna: “Well, they heard from my lawyer after they published it. My lawyer informed them that the NYT never mentioned my name explicitly as being the person who “allegedly” investigated the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
You see, the NYT has a personal vendetta against James O’Keefe and I was just caught in the crossfire. Two media organizations are competing to relay information to the American public. One organization publishes videos of what people say on camera when being investigated, and the another uses anonymous sources and hides behind “allegedly”.
Every lawsuit that James O’Keefe had been dragged into, he won. Every single one. Whether he started it or someone else. Even the NYT had to retract some of their statements and fake news articles. In fact, O’Keefe was able to do something that no one has been able to do before — against one of the biggest news organizations – he had them deposed. Some of the members of the NYT had to admit their journalistic tactics under oath.
Am I surprised that the NYT brought about a salacious hit piece on James and his colleagues while they were being deposed? I’m not. Are you?
Not one person on our team investigated the FBl. If I did, I would be in jail. A year later, I’m still walking free. Sorry haters.
Cheyenne: “Let’s talk about the tweet you sent out and the negative comments.”
Anna: “Yes, thank you for bringing that up. In retrospect, I wish I didn’t send it out. I was in total shock and so hurt by a community that I used to be a part of, deeply loved and admired. I saw some of the craziest tweets online saying, ‘I used to play poker with Anna back in the day, and I always thought she was a spy.’ Mind-blowing and below-the-belt accusations.
There was so much negativity and hatred on the internet, that I lost my cool and tweeted out of emotion. I wish I took a step back and not pay attention to it. If I could go back, I would ask God for wisdom and rejoice at all the persecution. God would have probably told me, ‘No need to respond to these lies. Keep looking up, and being contented in Me. One day, I will show the truth.’
I want to say this too, I had so many people reach out to me privately – some were poker players — and said ‘Anna I support you. I’m sorry you’re going through this. Thank you for doing what you’re doing. You are a voice for us because we are too afraid to speak out publicly. Please don’t stop.’
Doyle Brunson was someone who had my back publicly and privately. He’s an amazing supporter and friend. He’s always sent the kindest messages to me throughout the years. Truly an amazing human being. It’s sad to see people who call him a legend but blatantly disrespect him online. You may not agree with his politics, but at least have some respect.
It was also interesting to see some of the elite men in poker who brand themselves “feminists” attack and try to destroy women who disagree with them. You can disagree with someone, but still honor and respect them.
It was then that I realized how toxic the poker community was.
I was glad that I stepped away from it, but looking back I wish I never sent that tweet. God has taught me to be more graceful, and never to tweet from emotion.
I also realized that there are a lot of conservatives in poker. So many told me that they are hesitant to speak out and share their political viewpoints publicly. They know if they disagree with the liberal ideology that they’ll be vilified, publicly humiliated, shamed, and exiled.
I’ve met so many poker players even on the political tour I’m on now, the Clay Clark ‘ReAwaken’ tour. I’ve been across the country the past two years sharing about my experiences with Project Veritas, playing poker, my experience on Survivor, and my spiritual journey from atheist to born-again Christian.
There are so many poker players that come up to me and say ‘Hey, you know I want you to know I’ve been following you for a long time and obviously love your stance, I’m a conservative too, thank you for speaking out, so you know not all of us are liberal.’ I hear that so often around the country and in my DM’s. ‘Not all of us are liberal.’
There are a lot of conservative poker players I’ve met who love to watch the liberal elite players play poker, but they can’t stand it when they get into politics.
So, when the uber left try to speak for an entire community, they are highly mistaken because not everyone is liberal. I used to be friends with many of these liberal poker elites, until I publicly endorsed candidate Donald Trump in 2016. That was when all hell broke loose. But all is well. I have forgiven all of them. I truly love and pray for their souls.
True love and tolerance are missing in the poker community. And you can’t love people without knowing Jesus. He is the lover of our souls.”
Cheyenne: “Many of the ‘poker elite’ attacked Robbi Jade Lew and accused her of cheating. Are you aware of or familiar with that story?“
Anna: “Yes, I was aware of the story when it went viral. I watched it and saw the tweets and I saw how they attacked her. And even though to me it seemed a little odd, you just don’t know the full story. You can’t slander someone without any evidence. It was all speculation.
And here we go again, the “all loving and tolerant” poker elites are attacking another woman’s character and reputation with such salacious accusations without any evidence.
They automatically judged her. There is no innocent until proven guilty. You’re automatically guilty. And this happens all the time. It’s sexist. ‘She doesn’t know anything about poker. She must be cheating.'”
Cheyenne: “Why are some very vocal, accusing someone of cheating when they actually have no evidence?”
Anna: “Right, and that’s what it comes down to. Look, I mean obviously the play was outlandish and it was very weird to say the least. I mean, I think she made a hero call with Jack high with a hand that was 3bet and called? It was nuts. But to automatically conclude that she was cheating without any evidence and unleashing a firestorm of vile accusation against her, was hard to watch.
But sadly, it didn’t surprise me. I’ve seen the way women are treated on and off the poker table.
I couldn’t get through everything that happened to me without the Lord. I am so thankful for Him!
Over the years I’ve had so many messages saying ‘I’m disappointed in Daniel Negreanu that he said this and that about you, even though I disagree with you politically, it wasn’t nice what he said.’ Daniel has a special place in my heart because he was the reason I got into poker to begin with. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have pursued poker. I was honored to meet him during the WSOP main event back in 2016. I knew he was a big fan of Survivor, so we had a good laugh about it.
I was shocked when he started to viciously attack me publicly for endorsing Donald Trump. I thought, well, we can disagree politically, but there is no reason to attack people for their beliefs. It’s a free country. Some of the tweets were really below-the-belt.
After the 2020 election, he attacked me again across Las Vegas radio and social media for my stance on the presidential results. It’s obvious what happened in the 2020 election, but I won’t go there [laughing].
But regardless, what Daniel has said about me, I truly forgave him. I can appreciate his passion and I know that he means well. We disagree on many things, including politics, but that doesn’t change my honor and respect for him. He is one of the best poker players on the planet.
I’ve learned that not everyone is going to love you. There are some battles that are not worth fighting. When people viciously attack you for your beliefs, you can get angry, or you can feel compassion. So many people are not aware of how real the spiritual realm is. You can’t expect a goat to understand an eagle’s viewpoint. And you can’t have an eagle’s viewpoint without knowing God.
I’ve learned that you can’t control what people say or think about you. But you can control how you react to it. Life is too short and beautiful to get stuck and bogged down by nonsense. It’s not worth being full of bitterness and unforgiveness. It’ll torment and stagnate you. I choose to bless my enemies, instead of cursing them. Like Jesus said on the cross before he died, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
One day, many will stand in front of God and He will show them the folly of their ways. I sincerely pray they don’t wait that long to discover the truth because Jesus is too wonderful to not spend all of eternity with.”
