CSNbbs

Kind of fitting that the Lincoln Project is dead in the water on Lincolns Birthday.

Quote:Lincoln Project co-founder Steve Schmidt resigned from the embattled anti-Trump organization Friday night, claiming he did so to “make room for the appointment of a female board member as the first step to reform and professionalize the Lincoln Project.”

“Presently, the Lincoln Project is made up of four middle-aged white men. That composition does not reflect our nation, nor our movement. I am resigning my seat on the Lincoln Project board to make room for the appointment of a female board member as the first step to reform and professionalize the Lincoln Project,” Schmidt said in a statement.

Axios was first to report on Schmidt’s exit, which follows an exodus of senior staff since the Associated Press and New York magazine ran bombshell reports indicating that leadership at The Lincoln Project were aware of at least ten sexual harassment allegations against co-founder John Weaver in June 2020. Two of those allegations involved Lincoln Project employees and were communicated to leadership after Schmidt and other colleagues denied having any knowledge of Weaver’s behavior.

Schmidt himself issued a lengthy statement that began with him recalling his days as a 13-year-old and how he was allegedly molested by a camp medic at Rock Hill Boy Scout Camp, which he said left him traumatized and later revealed that he had struggled with depression.

He then went into his ties with Weaver, who he had met in 2006 but stressed that his professional relationship did not begin until 2019 when the Lincoln Project was founded.

Schmidt doubled down on his assertion he did not learn about Weaver's misconduct until last month and insisted that an independent investigation "will validate this."

"My purpose in writing this isn't to express what and when I knew about John Weaver, but how I feel about him, what he did and how many people he hurt," Schmidt wrote. "This is my truth. John Weaver has put me back into that faraway cabin with Ray, my Boy Scout leader. I am incandescently angry about it. I am angry because I know the damage that he caused to me, and I know the journey that lies ahead of every young man that trusted, feared and was abused by John Weaver."

While Schmidt said he is "enormously proud of the Lincoln Project," he offered an apology to co-founder Jennifer Horn, who resigned from the group last week, over the public dispute that was launched. He called her "an important and valuable member of our team."

"She deserved better from me. She deserved a leader who could restrain his anger. I am sorry for my failure," Schmidt told his former colleague.

He also addressed the controversial tweets that showed a private Twitter exchange between Horn and a reporter, claiming it came from "an anonymous source," but said the private messages "should never have been made public" and that he "accepts responsibility."

"For me, it's time to step back from the front - to get healthy mentally, physically, and spiritually," Schmidt continued. "Stay strong, There is much work to be done."

The Lincoln Project did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.

Lincoln Project advisers Tom Nichols and Kurt Bardella, as well as LPTV host Nayyera Haq announced on Twitter Friday that they had stepped away from the organization. Fellow adviser and LPTV host Tara Setmayer also indicated her potential exit on Twitter.

In addition, CNBC reported Friday that top megadonors are considering abandoning the group.

Last week, co-founder Jennifer Horn announced her resignation, which sparked a public spat between her and the group.

Late Thursday, the Lincoln Project allegedly published private Twitter messages Horn sent to a reporter. Those tweets were later removed after co-founder George Conway, who left the group in August, warned that its actions may have broken federal law.

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Here is the tweet they deleted after George Conway told them it’s a violation of federal law to intimidate a reporter/whistle blower off a story about them.

Quote:Lincoln Project TV host Nayyera Haq resigned from the Never Trump organization Friday amid a growing number of allegations of sexual harassment against co-founder John Weaver and bitter, public fallouts with other former members of the group.

“Given The Lincoln Project’s attacks on media and handling of recent events, I have decided to resign as host of The Lincoln Report,” Haq wrote in a statement obtained by reporter Yashar Ali.

“LPTV tapped into an audience hungry for a way forward and a discussion of the values and ideals of democracy,” she continued. “Many of my friends and family followed that work closely. I look forward to being part of the conversation going forward, and trust The Lincoln Project will do the right and compensate those who worked to create the show.”

The Lincoln Project has been in a tail spin since the New York Times reported that over 20 young men alleged Weaver sent them unsolicited sexual messages. Weaver has since left the organization and the FBI is said to be investigating allegations against the longtime strategist of former Ohio Gov. John Kasich ®, according to Ali.

On Thursday, the Lincoln Project tweeted and subsequently deleted several private messages between co-founder Jennifer Horn and a journalist, seemingly without the now-former group member’s permission.

Attorney George Conway, a founding member Lincoln Project, said of the group posting the message to Twitter: “This looks on its face to be a violation of federal law and should be taken down immediately.”

The organization announced Thursday evening, after the new details were reported by The Associated Press, that its board had decided to “retain a best-in-class outside professional” to review Weaver’s tenure “to establish both accountability and best practices going forward for The Lincoln Project.”

The group also encouraged anyone bound by a nondisclosure agreement “to contact the Lincoln Project for a release.”

Despite the initial warning in June, the group took no action against Weaver and pressed forward with its high-profile work. For the collection of GOP consultants and former officials, being anti-Trump was becoming very good for business. Of the $90 million Lincoln Project has raised, more than $50 million has gone to firms controlled by the group’s leaders.

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Of course Megan McCain had to insert herself.

Quote:Meghan McCain said Friday that no one in her family would spit on John Weaver or Steve Schmidt if they were on fire.

McCain expressed her disdain for the two men in a series of tweets, noting that they had both been banned — along with MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace — from attending the late Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain’s funeral despite working on his 2008 presidential campaign.

“My heart goes out to the victims of John Weaver, it’s abhorrent and evil,” McCain continued, saying that anyone who knew about Weaver deserved to be held accountable. “I hope that anyone who covered up for this never works in politics ever again.”

“What disgusts me so much is that anyone who would engage in such awful and potentially illegal behavior would use their media associations with my father to gain opportunities. My dad was betrayed by you, hated you for it, and we all know it,” McCain concluded.

Schmidt, a co-founder of the Lincoln Project, resigned from the group Friday after multiple people accused fellow co-founder Weaver of predatory sexual behavior toward young men.

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Such men of principal and honor. This group was a joke as most republicans rightly said from the start. This Lincoln Project trash all knew about Weaver and hid it. They all used the Lincoln Project funds as a piggy bank--doling out money to friends, family, and themselves. Frankly, I knew these people were screwed up simply because Conway was so heavily involved and vocal. No decent person with any sort of character or empathy would ever undermine his own wife, who held a key very public White House job, in such a loud and crass manner. Conway's behavior toward his own wife told you just how much of a low life azz the guy was---so, Im not really surprised his running buddies are pedophiles, pedophile enablers, and thieves. Of course, CNN held them up as if they were second coming of George Washington....so shocker---CNN gets it completely wrong yet again. You have to wonder if anything that network says is ever right.