Politics

Former Lincoln Project Leaders Call For Organization To Be Shut Down

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Mary Margaret Olohan Social Issues Reporter
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  • Former Lincoln Project Senior Adviser Kurt Bardella and co-founder George Conway called for the organization to be shut down Tuesday. 
  • Their comments came amidst reports that Lincoln Project leaders knew of allegations against co-founder John Weaver as early as March 2020.
  • “Just shut it down already … it’s over,” Bardella tweeted.

Former Lincoln Project Senior Adviser Kurt Bardella and co-founder George Conway called for the organization to be shut down Tuesday amidst reports that Lincoln Project leaders knew of allegations against co-founder John Weaver as early as March 2020.

“Just shut it down already … it’s over,” Bardella tweeted. Bardella removed his association with the Lincoln Project from his Twitter bio between February 10 and February 12, Twitter users noted. (RELATED: Lincoln Project Leaders Reportedly Padded Pockets From Anti-Trump Donations While Ignoring Allegations Against Cofounder)

“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 this is right,” Conway said, referring to Bardella’s tweet. Conway left the Lincoln Project in August 2020. (RELATED: Lincoln Project Donation Page Shut Down Amidst Scandals)

On Monday, the Lincoln Project announced it hired the law firm Paul Hastings for a “comprehensive review of our operations and culture,” 19th News reported. The organization also released both current and former workers from their NDA’s in order to be able to discuss their “workplace environment,” according to the publication.

“We are committed to creating a positive, diverse, and inclusive workplace environment at The Lincoln Project and inappropriate behavior by anyone associated with the organization will not be tolerated under any circumstances. We have already taken decisive action to address internal concerns,” co-founder Reed Galen told The 19th early Tuesday.

Multiple sources came forward Monday after they were released from their NDA’s and said that Lincoln Project managing partner Sarah Lenti knew about allegations against Weaver as early as May 2020. Lenti confirmed to 19th News that Lincoln Project co-founders knew about the allegations in March 2020.

The sources told the publication that co-founders Steve Schmidt and Reed Galen were among the co-founders who knew.

Schmidt previously said he was unaware of the allegations until January, according to 19th News. He resigned from the organization on Friday after the Lincoln Project published co-founder Jennifer Horn’s private messages with Becker.

The series of messaging shows Becker and Horn discussing, mostly off the record on Horn’s part, Horn’s reasons for leaving the Lincoln Project, her compensation and other Lincoln Project co-founders.

The Associated Press also reported Thursday that Lincoln Project members were made aware of at least 10 allegations of harassment against Weaver in June 2020. The group did not take action against Weaver as it continued its high-profile work combating the re-election of former President Donald Trump and expressed shock in January over the allegations against its cofounder.

“The totality of his deceptions are beyond anything any of us could have imagined and we are absolutely shocked and sickened by it,” the group said in a January statement(RELATED: Lincoln Project Scrambles To Clean Up John Weaver Mess, Publishes Former Employee’s Private Messages)

The allegations would not gain serious media attention until January, when conservative writer Ryan Girdusky alleged Jan. 9 that multiple young men had sent him screenshots of predatory messages from Weaver. He followed up with a story in The American Conservative describing Weaver’s alleged “predatory actions” and alleged grooming of young men.

Several weeks later, the New York Times reported that Weaver sent sexually provocative and unsolicited messages to young men for years. The publication talked to 21 young men who said that the messages suggested that Weaver could help them get jobs in politics.

One of these young men was 14 when Weaver messaged him, the publication reported. (RELATED: Twitter Says ‘Bug’ Prevented Users From Searching Lincoln Project Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations)

None of the men accused Weaver of unlawful conduct and the messages only led to one consensual sexual encounter, according to the Times. However, the men described feeling preyed upon by Weaver, an older and influential man with the potential to help them gain the job they wanted.

Girdusky told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham Monday night that he has spoken to another minor who was “aggressively sexually harassed” by Weaver, noting that “there’s possibly more to come.”

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