Staff members at the anti-Trump group, the Lincoln Project, are stepping down from their posts following reports that the organization did not promptly respond to allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of one of its co-founders.
The political action committee, which was set up in late 2019 by several former Republican operatives, has seen at least four members of its ranks leave in recent days, including Steve Schmidt, a co-founder who worked on the campaigns of high-profile Republicans such as former President George W. Bush and the late Sen. John McCain.
On Thursday, the Associated Press reported that leadership within the PAC had been aware of at least 10 sexual abuse allegations against John Weaver since June. Since then, even more allegations have been revealed.
By Friday evening, it was revealed that Schmidt, one of the organization’s co-founders, is resigning from the project’s board. In a statement obtained by journalist Miranda Green, Schmidt said, “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 shared in his statement a story of sexual abuse he experienced as a child and added that he did not become aware of the allegations against Weaver until January, echoing comments he has said previously.
On Feb. 5, the Lincoln Project announced in a tweet that it had accepted the resignation of Jennifer Horn, the organization’s only female co-founder, after she demanded a $250,000 signing bonus, among other things. In a statement released by the New York Times on Thursday, Horn said she was in the process of negotiating a new contract with the Lincoln Project.
“I included in my counteroffer as the number 1 condition that we properly address the weaver issue publicly and issue a call to take action on sexual harassment and power imbalance/exploitation issues,” she said. “I made it clear that I could not continue my association with the project otherwise. My suggestions were rejected outright, and on Feb. 5th, I terminated my relationship with the Lincoln Project.”
She added that the suggestion that her departure was motivated by finances was “patently false.”
On Thursday, the Lincoln Project’s Twitter account posted a series of direct messages that appeared to be between Horn and a journalist from 19th News. The account accused the pair of “preparing to publish a smear job on the Lincoln Project.”
Horn said that she did not give consent to the messages being posted. It is unclear how anyone outside the conversation was able to gain access to the messages. The tweets showing the messages were quickly deleted, and the Lincoln Project account, which has roughly 2.8 million followers, has been dormant for nearly a day.
“I would like to apologize to Jennifer Horn,” Schmidt said in his statement. “I let my anger turn a business dispute into a public war that has distracted from the fight against American fascism. Jennifer was an important and valuable member of our team.”
He added, “Yesterday, I was shown correspondence between Jennifer Horn and Amanda Becker, a reporter at the 19th News. I was told it came from an anonymous source. That direct message should never have been made public. It is my job as the senior leader to accept responsibility for the tremendous misjudgment to release it.”
Nayera Haq, who was going to host a show for the Lincoln Project called The Lincoln Report, said in a statement on Twitter on Friday, “Given The Lincoln Project’s attacks on media and handling of recent events, I have decided to step away as host of The Lincoln Report.”
Journalist Ben Jacobs reported that Kurt Bardella, a senior adviser to the Lincoln Project, also cut ties with the group.
Commentator Tom Nichols posted on Twitter Friday, “I’m glad @ProjectLincoln is hiring outside counsel for this. I’ve always been transparent about all my affiliations, as I am now: I told TLP leadership yesterday that I’m stepping down as an unpaid adviser as they sort this out and decide their future direction and organization.”
The group announced on Thursday that it was hiring a “best-in-class outside professional” to review the allegations.
On Jan. 31, the Lincoln Project released a statement on the allegations against Weaver, communicating that the organization was unaware of his behavior. The group said Weaver led a “secret life” and said the “totality of his deceptions” was “beyond anything any of us could have imagined.”
“No Lincoln Project employee, intern, or contractors ever made an allegation of inappropriate communication about John Weaver that would have triggered an investigation by HR or by an outside employment counsel,” Schmidt said in a Wednesday interview with the Associated Press. “In other words, no human being ever made an allegation about any inappropriate sexualized communications about John Weaver ever.”
