Jennifer Horn, a co-founder of the Lincoln Project, has resigned from the group following revelations that John Weaver, another co-founder, had sexually propositioned men and boys on social media, The New York Times reported Friday.
Jennifer Horn, a Lincoln Project co-founder, resigned from the group, citing the Weaver inappropriate contacts with young men https://t.co/mJdSc1zH2O
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 5, 2021
Horn, a former New Hampshire Republican Party chairwoman who helped found the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, cited diverging views with the group, and also pointed to the recent reports of Weaver’s “grotesque and inappropriate behavior” in a statement announcing her departure, shared with The Times.
“Upon careful consideration, I have terminated my relationship with the Lincoln Project, effective immediately,” Horn said in the statement.
“John Weaver’s grotesque and inappropriate behavior, coupled with his longstanding deceptions concerning that behavior, are sickening. It is clear at this point that my views about how the Lincoln Project’s efforts are managed, and the best way to move the Lincoln Project forward into the future in the wake of these awful events, have diverged.’’
The Lincoln Project issued a statement Friday saying that two days ago, Horn “in written communication requested from the Lincoln Project an immediate ‘signing bonus’ payment of $250,000 and a $40,000 per month consulting contract.”
The Lincoln Project’s statement on Jennifer Horn’s resignation. pic.twitter.com/eSJiDZweLj
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) February 6, 2021
The Lincoln project also said that she once “demanded a board seat … a television show, a podcast hosting assignment, and a staff to manage these endeavors.”
They immediately accepted her resignation, according to the Lincoln Project’s statement.
Horn and the Lincoln Project did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
Weaver, a former adviser to John McCain and to former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, was accused of sending “unsolicited and sexually provocative messages” online to young men, including one boy who was 14 years old, the Times reported. Weaver’s sexual misconduct was first reported by Ryan Girdusky in The American Conservative on Jan. 11.
Weaver released a statement to Axios on Jan. 15 in which he said that he “viewed [the messages] as consensual mutual conversations at the time.” The Lincoln Project’s first responded to the story with a comment to Axios in which a spokesperson said that Weaver’s “statement speaks for itself.”
On Jan. 31, the Lincoln Project issued a statement denouncing Weaver as a “predator, a liar, and an abuser.” (RELATED: Lincoln Project Denounces Co-Founder As Predator, Liar, And Abuser)
Girdusky has claimed that Lincoln Project leaders knew about Weaver’s conduct, but did not address it.
This statement by the @ProjectLincoln is an absolute lie.
Members did know. Young men approached them about the accusations. Members knew I was writing the story and warned John Weaver pic.twitter.com/BZms5iLgpL
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) January 31, 2021
Although Horn is leaving the anti-Trump group, she added in her statement to the Times that she would “remain fully committed” to fighting Trumpism.
“I originally joined the Lincoln Project because I recognized Donald Trump as an existential threat to our country and our way of life.” She said that she “brought my credibility, integrity and professionalism to the Lincoln Project’s efforts every day to defeat Donald Trump and Trumpism.”
She said that the success experienced in fighting Trump “is undeniable but also unfinished, according to the Times.
“While I end my association with the Lincoln Project today, I remain fully committed to fighting Trumpism going forward, to preserving our democratic Republic and to giving a voice to those who have none.”
