Two former officials call on The Lincoln Project to close amid scandals
Fox News’ ‘Outnumbered’ panel reacts to The Lincoln Project facing calls from two former top officials to shut down over a growing list of scandals, including accusations the group ignored sexual harassment claims against co-founder John Weaver.
Former Lincoln Project senior adviser and frequent MSNBC guest Kurt Bardella apologized Wednesday for publishing private messages between co-founder Jennifer Horn and a reporter -- nearly a month after fellow co-founder Steve Schmidt took the fall.
Several members of the anti-Trump PAC, including Horn, jumped ship after sexual harassment allegations against co-founder John Weaver surfaced.
After Horn's exit last month, the Lincoln Project leaked screenshots of a private Twitter direct message exchange between Horn and 19th News reporter Amanda Becker.
Days later, Schmidt acknowledged in his lengthy resignation letter that Horn's messages "should never have been made public" and that he "accepts responsibility."
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However, Bardella, who also left the group last month, issued a new statement on Twitter taking ownership of the incident.
"Last month, Steve Schmidt published a statement that included an apology to Jennifer Horn & Amanda Becker for the posting of their DMs on The Lincoln Project's Twitter. While I had no role obtaining those messages, I was instructed to post them and much to my regret, I did," Bardella began. "I wish I had refused, but honestly, by that point, there just wasn't any fight left in me and I resigned the next morning."
Bardella explained that he had "spent a lot of time in recent weeks writing/talking about some of the things going on in our country that disturb me", which prompted him to reflect on his "own mistakes."
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"Ultimately, I just didn't think I could credibly advocate effectively for the things I care about until I took this step of saying publicly to Amanda & Jennifer what I've shared with them privately: I'm sorry," Bardella continued. "I hope Jennifer and Amanda can forgive me, but understand if they don't. At the end of the day, the best we can do is take responsibility for our mistakes, own up to them, and do better."
Becker appeared to accept his apology, replying on Twitter, "We all do things we wish we hadn't. Acknowledging them and learning from them is how we grow. No hard feelings."
Horn has yet to publicly acknowledge Bardella's apology.
Bardella appeared to have no issue throwing stones from glass houses, as he recently accused the Republican Party of being the "ultimate grift" by fundraising off of uproar over cancel culture.
"Listen, all that we have seen from the Republican Party during this time of Trump being the leader and the face of the party is them milking their core constituency for tens of millions of dollars and delivering them nothing but basically a death sentence," Bardella said. "And again ... it is the ultimate con that the very people that they pander to, this so-called working class, you know, hardworking family values, White voters, these are the people ... they could never get in to the Trump Hotel! They could never get in to all of these great, luxurious properties where they hold all these confabs at. They make fun of these people, they are using them, and they are using them to raise money and enrich themselves."
"It is the ultimate grift, the Republican Party right now," Bardella concluded.
Shortly after Horn left The Lincolun Project, The 19th News published a bombshell report authored by Becker that detailed the group's internal turmoil.
In December, Becker reported, The Lincoln Project sent "two round sum payments of $1.1 million and $300,000" to co-founder Mike Madrid's firm, Grassroots Lab. That same day, the group allocated $900,000 to co-founder Ron Steslow’s firm, TUSK Digital.
"All of the payments were described as for 'political strategy consulting' on campaign finance filings," the report went on. "The Lincoln Project was organized as a super PAC, meaning it could raise and spend unlimited sums of money but had to disclose only basic details about where the money was going."
"The firms that some of the co-founders brought with them to The Lincoln Project’s work became a source of internal frustration, as more than half of the nearly $90 million raised by the project flowed to firms controlled by its various founders. Once it was there, there was usually no way to track how they spent or kept it," the report continued.
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Co-fouder Reed Galen's firm, Summit Strategic Communications, had received roughly $27.5 million from The Lincoln Project as of January, "with the bulk of that going to 'independent expenditures' such as television or Internet advertisements and nearly $7 million to consulting."
TUSK, Steslow’s firm, "received $22.4 million, with $7.1 million for consulting." Grassroots Lab, Madrid's firm, similarly received "$2.2 million."
The Lincoln Project did not previously respond to Fox News' requests for comment.
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