Robert Creamer in a screenshot from the Project Veritas video,
Robert “Bob” Creamer is a long-time Democratic operative who is accused of being involved in alleged efforts to incite violence at Donald Trump rallies and possibly organizing voter fraud, allegations he denies.
Creamer was captured on undercover video recorded by Project Veritas. Project Veritas is spearheaded by conservative activist James O’Keefe, who has used undercover stings before to advance conservative causes, targeting organizations like ACORN, which does community organizing.
Scrutiny of Creamer has grown after Donald Trump mentioned the O’Keefe videos in the third presidential debate and as the Republican nominee continues to say the election might be rigged. In turn, Democrats and some in the media have sharply criticized Trump for the latter comments. According to USA Today, President Barack Obama said Trump had made voter fraud allegations “without a shred of evidence.”
Records revealed that Creamer, a felon, had visited the White House hundreds of times.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Creamer Is Discussed in a James O’Keefe Video on Alleged Incitement of Violence at Trump Rallies
In a video titled “Rigging the Election,” O’Keefe spoke with several Democratic officials who talked about tactics they allegedly use to incite violence at Donald Trump rallies.
The video placed the blame possibly back on a group of Democrats who are allegedly used purposefully to incite violent encounters during the rallies. O’Keefe spoke with Scott Foval, National Field Director for Americans United for Change, and Creamer, founder of Democracy Partners, along with several activists.
CNN said the video showed “Creamer and other operatives purportedly discussing methods for inciting violence at rallies for the Republican nominee.”
According to NPR, the video captured Foval detailing “how he and other operatives recruit and train people to protest Trump events and to try to draw Trump supporters into physical confrontations. ‘There’s a script,’ he says. ‘Sometimes the ‘crazies’ bite … sometimes they don’t bite.'”
Foval denies the allegations, but the Wisconsin attorney general now says he’s going to review the allegations because Foval has worked in Wisconsin.
The video is edited, and O’Keefe has been accused in the past of editing footage in misleading ways, says CNN.
Trump brought up the allegations during the third presidential debate, and one of his sons also raised the video to the news media.
Project Veritas has released two videos. The Washington Times said the second allegedly showed “Foval brainstorming over ways to commit voter fraud, such as by busing people from one state to another, while appearing to indicate that it had already been done in Iowa.”
The Times alleges that the “same video shows Mr. Creamer discussing a proposal by a Project Veritas investigator to register people to vote illegally by setting up a shell corporation.”
The Times says another operative, Aaron Black, identified himself as “deputy rapid response director for the DNC for all things Trump on the ground,” and said he was with Creamer’s group, adding, “So the Chicago protest, when they shut all that, that was us. It was more [Mr. Creamer] than me…”
2. Creamer Is Married to Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky
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According to CNN, Creamer is married to a representative from Illinois, Jan Schakowski.
Schakowski is a Democrat. Creamer lives in Evanston, Illinois, said The Chicago Sun-Times.
According to Schakowski’s official bio, “Jan was elected to represent Illinois’ 9th Congressional District in 1998, after serving for eight years in the Illinois General Assembly.”
Her official biography says she is a member of House Democratic leadership.
@NancyPelosi @janschakowsky celebrate 90 bday of @AbnerMikva – progressive hero
“She is in her ninth term, serving in the House Democratic leadership as a Chief Deputy Whip and as a member of the Steering and Policy Committee,” it says. “She is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, where she is the Ranking Democrat on the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade
Subcommittee.”
Creamer has strongly criticized Trump on social media.
Dictators imprison their opponents after elections — that’s where @realDonaldTrump went tonight #debstes2016
There is something @realDonaldTrump is hiding #Debates2016
Creamer’s Twitter profile says: “Robert Creamer of Democracy Partners has been an organizer and political strategist for 4 decades. Book-Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win.”
3. Creamer Was Helping Hillary Clinton’s Campaign but Resigned After the Videos’ Release
CNN reported that Creamer’s “organization was helping Hillary Clinton’s campaign” and added that he resigned Tuesday after the video’s release.
CNN said Creamer “was helping the Democratic National Committee with Clinton’s campaign while working for Democracy Partners, a progressive consulting group.” He also runs a group called Mobilize, which contracts with the DNC, said CNN.
Creamer told The Chicago Sun-Times “that O’Keefe’s allegations that he and his firm had a role in inciting violence at Trump events ‘are completely untrue.'” He said he was “stepping aside” anyway to avoid being a distraction “to the important task of electing Hillary Clinton and defeating Donald Trump,” said the Chicago newspaper.
Creamer is mentioned in some of the hacked WikiLeaks’ emails.
@JamesOKeefeIII @tracegallagher @TeamCavuto @PVeritas_Action @FoxNews Creamer mentioned in the DNC emails again. t.co/2GFPM4hIkI
In the third presidential debate, Trump accused Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama of being involved in inciting violence at his rallies.
4. Creamer Has Visited the White House at Least 340 Times, Reports Say
Records from the White House visitor list.
According to The Chicago Sun Times, “White House visitor logs show Creamer has made 340 visits since Obama took office in January 2009.”
Senator Ted Cruz said at least 45 of those meetings were with President Obama and is demanding a criminal investigation.
The visitor logs are online and can be searched here.
Creamer told the Sun-Times, “The Obama White House has regular meetings of progressive organizations every week. Lots of people go, including me.”
Of the video, Creamer said, according to The Washington Times, “We regret the unprofessional and careless hypothetical conversations that were captured on hidden cameras of a temporary regional contractor for our firm, and he is no longer with us.”
The White House press secretary, Eric Schultz, said Creamer wasn’t at the White House “to meet one-on-one with Obama, although he left open the idea that they might have been in the room together,” according to Washington Examiner.
Schultz also said visitor logs sometimes show people were cleared to enter the White House but did not do so and added, “I don’t know if we’ve had the time to go back and look at every individual visit,” said the Examiner.
5. Creamer Was Sentenced to Prison in a Check-Kiting Scheme
According to The Chicago Tribune, Creamer has a criminal history; in 2006, “he was sentenced to five months in federal prison for bank fraud and a tax violation,” said the Tribune.
RedState says Creamer is a convicted felon.
The Tribune said the conviction involved a “check-kiting scheme to keep afloat an Illinois consumer group he had led. A federal prosecutor said Creamer stole money from banks…”
The Washington Times described Creamer as “a four-decade Democratic strategist who pleaded guilty in 2005 to charges of bank fraud and tax violations.”