The Lincoln Project, the group formed just over a year ago by an anti-Trump Republican gang, faces calls to close amid allegations of a toxic and abusive culture in the organization.
So far, two former senior officials of the Lincoln Project have supported the idea of closing the group, including one of its co-founders, George Conway
George Conway calls for a thorough investigation of the Lincoln Project: “The lie must stop” Claudia Conway advances to “American Idol”, parents Kellyanne and George appear, which departed from the project last summer. Kurt Bardella, who left his senior advisory role for the Lincoln Project last week, has also called for the group to stop.
“Close it now … it’s over,” he tweeted Tuesday. Arriving at The Hill on Wednesday, Bardella said his tweet speaks for itself and declined to comment further.
Conway echoed that sentiment, writing in his own tweet that Bardella is “right” in stating that it’s time to close the Lincoln Project.
“It’s a shame and we shouldn’t forget the hard work of so many people and the positive things the organization did, but yes, I think that’s right,” Conway wrote.
The group has also hired a law firm, Paul Hastings, to “investigate allegations of misconduct” by another of its co-founders, John Weaver, who has been accused of harassing numerous young people online. The New York Times first reported these allegations late last month.
Since then, the problems of the Lincoln Project have only deepened. There have been allegations that group leaders knew of Weaver’s behavior long before they left it publicly.
Meanwhile, eight former employees and associates have signed an open letter calling for the release of their non-disclosure agreements, a move that would allow them to speak publicly about their experiences in the group. The Lincoln Project has said those wishing to be released from their NDAs should contact the group directly.
At the same time, Jennifer Horn, the only wife of the co-founders of the Lincoln Project, resigned earlier this month amid contract negotiations. In a statement issued last week, Horn said the group’s management had “totally rejected” its demand that they “properly address the issue of Weaver and call for action to address issues of sexual harassment and imbalance.” exploitation of power “.
Horn also said he had recently learned from Weaver’s victims that his interactions with him had begun “almost a year ago” and that those interactions had been “communicated to other people in the Lincoln Project.” Steve Schmidt, another co-founder of the Lincoln Project, has said he did not learn of the allegations against Weaver until January.
“It really impacted me,” Horn said. “These are not my stories to tell, but I knew at the time that the ‘Lincoln Project’ had a chance to take a stand and do better.”
Horn did not respond Wednesday to a request for an interview. But he retweeted Conway’s message that the Lincoln Project should be shut down amid the scandal.
The Lincoln Project did not answer The Hill’s questions about calls for it to close. The group said in a previous statement that recent news about its internal problems was full of “inaccuracies,” but acknowledged Weaver’s behavior should be addressed.
“The recently published stories about the Lincoln Project are full of inaccuracies, incorrect information and rely solely on anonymous sources,” the statement said. “However, there is a central truth in all of them that needs to be taken into account and it is John Weaver’s appalling conduct and the abuses he caused to people.”
Weaver is no longer part of the Lincoln project. He had been on sick leave since August and announced last month that he would not return.
The group has also released its own account of Horn’s departure, saying he resigned after the Lincoln Project board rejected his contractual demands, including an “immediate $ 250,000” signature bonus payment and a $ 250,000 contract. $ 40,000 a month consulting, ”as well as“ a board seat on the Lincoln Project, a TV show, a podcast hosting task, and staff to manage those efforts. ”
Horn, in a statement, said the account of his departure from the Lincoln Project was “obviously false” and accused the group of launching “a direct attack” on his character.
The recent wave of controversy over the Lincoln Project underscores the group’s remarkable downfall after it became a political force in 2020.
Formed in December 2019 by a group of Republicans and former anti-dumping currents, the Lincoln Project quickly consolidated as the leading GOP group opposed to the former President Trump
Donald Trump Federal prosecutors investigate Proud Boys’ ties to Roger Stone in the 2019 case: CNN Overnight Defense: one-third of service members decline coronavirus vaccine | Biden will take executive action in response to the Wind Winds hack The United States and Japan reach a cost-sharing deal Trump “won’t say yet” if it comes in 2024 MORE and legislators who allied with him.
He amassed more than $ 87 million during the 2020 election cycle and invested about $ 82 million, mostly in expansive and captivating advertising campaigns that took on what the group believed was Republican Party corruption and conservatism. of Trump. At times, those ads delved into personal attacks that excited many critics of Trump and infuriated his allies.
However, the Lincoln Project has faced some questions about its finances. Throughout the 2020 cycle, the group allocated tens of millions of dollars to companies run by its co-founders.
Summit Strategic Communications, a company that owns Project Co-founder Lincoln Reed Galen, received about $ 27.5 million from the group through January, mostly for independent spending. Similarly, he paid Tusk Digital, a company run by another Lincoln Project co-founder Ron Steslow, more than $ 22 million.
Despite all its spending in 2020, the Lincoln Project still has a considerable amount of money in the bank – approximately $ 5.5 million, according to his most recent submissions to the Federal Electoral Commission.
The group begins the year deeply fractured and faces an increasingly bleak outlook.
Anedot, the company that processed online donations for the Lincoln Project, has closed the group’s account. In a statement to CNBC, Anedot said his decision to sever ties with the Lincoln Project was driven by certain unspecified “incidents.” The Lincoln Project online fundraising portal has been offline for days.
The founders of the group have also moved away in recent months. Of the eight members who founded the Lincoln Project just over a year ago, only three remain: Schmidt, Galen and Rick Wilson.
Schmidt announced Friday that she had resigned from her position on the organization’s board “to make way for the appointment of a female board member as a first step in reforming and professionalizing the Lincoln Project.”
“The Lincoln Project was built to fight,” Schmidt said in a statement. “I have the deepest hope that, despite recent internal events that have distracted our cause, you trust us that we will continue to fight for what the entire Lincoln Project movement believes in: fighting the growing tide of fascism and authoritarianism in this country.
“We are on the verge of seeing the end of American democracy. This struggle will continue for the rest of my life. “