NIH Contractor Who Admitted to Ripping Down and Trashing Federal Portraits of Trump, Vance, Has Been Fired
Earlier this month, the O’Keefe Media Group released undercover footage showing a contractor at the National Institutes of Health admitting to removing and discarding federal portraits of President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other officials at the agency’s Maryland headquarters.
The contractor, identified as Joseph Olmert, reportedly boasted on camera about destroying federally installed portraits.
According to the O’Keefe Media Group:
“Joseph Olmert, a contractor in the NIH’s Office of Research Animal Management Branch, admitted to an undercover OMG reporter that he destroyed federally installed portraits of President Trump, JD Vance, RFK Jr., and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya. On hidden camera, Olmert described his defiance toward the administration and admitted to discarding government property—a potential violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1361, which carries penalties of up to 10 years in prison depending on the extent of damage.”
BREAKING: NIH Contractor Admits to Ripping Down & Trashing Federal Portraits of President Trump, VP Vance, RFK Jr., & Director Jay Bhattacharya Inside the Maryland Headquarters.
“Man, f*ck these guys… I just decided to rip them off the wall.”
“I threw those motherf*ckers… pic.twitter.com/uYfiXP72oi
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) December 3, 2025
NIH officials confirmed to @OKeefeMedia that Olmert is an active contractor in the Research Animal Management Branch, issuing the following statement:
“At this time, we cannot confirm any individual’s involvement. The matter is being handled through internal channels, and we are not in a position to verify details beyond that. Regarding the material you shared, we have acknowledged receiving it. However, we have not received additional information from police that we can share at this time. The NIH Police are investigating.”
BREAKING: @OKeefeMedia is reporting that @NIH Contractor Joseph Olmert has been FIRED from his contract with the agency.
Olmert, an employee of JS Technology, Inc., was recently caught on hidden camera admitting to ripping down federal portraits of President Trump, VP Vance,… https://t.co/6bR4HqHPge
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) December 9, 2025
In the undercover footage, Olmert is heard saying,
“Man, fck these guys… I just decided to rip them off the wall. I threw those motherfckers away.”
When the reporter assured him his identity would remain confidential, Olmert responded:
“Federal property is not to be f*cked with.”
According to the O’Keefe Media Group, Olmert has since been terminated from his position.
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