The Lincoln Project is a Super PAC opposed to the reelection of President Donald Trump and Republican Party candidates that the group claims are his allies. From January through July 2020, the Lincoln project released 66 video advertisements, with 17 released in July alone. ¹

The Lincoln Project was founded by eight current and former Republican political operatives: George Conway III, Reed Galen, Jennifer Horn, Rick Wilson, Mike Madrid, Ron Steslow, Steve Schmidt, and John Weaver. Despite the group’s leadership consisting of current or former Republicans and the group announcing itself as aimed to persuade Republican-aligned voters not to support the Republican Party, FEC records show that the Lincoln Project banks with the Service Employees International Union-owned Amalgamated Bank,² and the Washington Free Beacon reported that it has done so since its founding.³

Critics have questioned the motives of many of these individuals: Conway reportedly has a longstanding personal feud with Trump, Schmidt and Weaver have been accused of engaging in political gamesmanship for publicity, and companies connected to Galen and Steslow received lucrative contracts from the Lincoln Project. The organization became embroiled in controversy in early 2021 after a reporter for the American Conservative, and later reporters with other media outlets including the New York Times, alleged that numerous young men seeking work in politics had received apparent solicitations of a romantic nature from Lincoln Project co-founder John Weaver.⁴

As of July 2020, the Lincoln Project had raised almost $19.5 million since its founding in November 2019. ⁵ Open Secrets has criticized the organization for various financial irregularities, including purposefully obscuring the recipients of its expenditures.

Though the Lincoln Project has an unusually high rate of small donors, many of its large funders are wealthy donors to Democratic candidates and PACs, including billionaire hedge fund manager Stephen Mandel, Silicon Valley billionaire Ron Conway, and Walmart heir Christy Walton. In addition, the Lincoln Project has paid employees and consultants with ties to the Democratic Party. In November 2020, Federal Elections Commission filings showed that Majority Forward and Senate Majority PAC, Super PACs affiliated with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), had contributed to Lincoln Project.⁶

In August 2021, the Washington Free Beacon reported that the Lincoln Project had abandoned its headquarters in Park City, Utah, leaving behind an empty office. ⁷

In October 2021, the Lincoln Project claimed responsibility for organizing a fake white supremacist rally designed to hurt the campaigns of Republicans in Virginia. ⁸

New York Times Op-ed

On December 17, 2019, four of the Lincoln Project’s eight founders published an op-ed in the New York Times entitled, “We Are Republicans, and We Want Trump Defeated,” announcing the group’s founding and intentions. The op-ed authors self-identified as conservative or classically liberal and claimed that their efforts transcend partisan politics and ideology. ⁹

The op-ed condemned President Trump’s “corruption” and “corrosive nature” and called upon all Americans to oppose him for the sake of the Constitution, rule of law, and “American character,” with patriotism and the survival of America at stake. Though no specific policies are cited, the authors accuse Trump of abandoning conservatism, and declare their target audience to be conservatives, Republicans, and Republican-leaning independent voters in swing states. ¹⁰

Campaigning for Democrats Post-Trump

After multiple news outlets projected that Donald Trump would lose his reelection, the Lincoln Project announced a new goal: “to defeat Trumpism.” It endorsed Democratic candidate Jon Ossof in the Georgia Senate run-off election while criticizing Republican incumbent David Perdue for his alignment with “Trumpism” and his handling of the COVID-19 response. ¹¹

In response to the Trump campaign’s lawsuits regarding the 2020 general election, the Lincoln Project announced a “multiplatform campaign hammering Jones Day and other firms” that were “facilitating” the lawsuit. It justified the advertising campaign because it claimed those involved were “attempting to undermine the outcome of a just and fair election.” ¹²

On November 10, 2020, the Lincoln Project tweeted out the names, emails, and phone numbers of two attorneys representing Trump and his campaign in their challenging of the official results of the Pennsylvania election. ¹³ In a series of tweets following that, the Lincoln Project advertised various methods of harassing these attorneys. The Lincoln Project also went after the clients of the law firms, hoping to deplete the firms of their funds. The tweets were quickly deleted as it was pointed out such actions could get the Lincoln Project sued for “Tortious Interference with a Business Relationship.” ¹⁴

On March 9, 2021, the Lincoln Project released an ad in support of Biden nominees Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke, which linked the opposition they have faced from conservative media to sexism and a culture that silences women. The ad called on senators to confirm both women and overcome “double standards,” implying that the only thing that stands between them and their confirmation would be mere discrimination based on sex. ¹⁵

On July 22, 2022, The Lincoln Project released a video online commending President Joe Biden for his first 18 months in office. The video congratulated President Biden on how he worked “to unite Americans, fought fascism, and built one of the strongest economies in American history.” ¹⁶

Founders

The Lincoln Project lists eight founders, all of whom are current or former members of the Republican Party. ¹⁷

George Conway III

George Conway III, husband of Trump White House advisor Kellyanne Conway, is a conservative attorney who was a member of the Republican Party until 2018 when he switched his party registration to “unaffiliated.” Despite his wife’s connection to the president, Conway has had worsening relations with Trump since his election, which Business Insider has characterized as a “feud.” Conway was initially a Trump supporter and was considered for a Department of Justice role, but withdrew himself from consideration.  Afterwards, he became an aggressive public critic of President Trump. ¹⁸

Reed Galen

Reed Galen is a Republican political consultant who worked on the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns of George W. Bush and at the Departments of the Treasury and Homeland Security. In 2006, Galen was deputy campaign manager for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R-CA) successful gubernatorial campaign in California. In 2007, he worked for then-U.S. Senator John McCain’s (R-AZ) presidential campaign. ¹⁹ In January 2018, Reed founded Summit Strategic Communications, a digital advertising company based out of Park City, Utah. ²⁰ In July 2018, Galen wrote an op-ed for NBC news urging “Never Trump” Republicans to abandon the Republican Party and either support third parties or form a new conservative party rather than join the Democrats. ²¹ Galen resigned from his position, along with Schmidt and Rick Wilson, in February 2021. ²²

Jennifer Horn

Jennifer Horn is a former Republican Party candidate and official. Horn twice ran for Representative of New Hampshire’s second congressional district, losing the general election in 2008 and the Republican primary in 2010. Afterward, Horn served as chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party. In 2017, Horn joined the national board of directors of the Log Cabin Republicans, a national right-leaning pro-LBGT organization. ²³ Having endorsed Republican presidential candidates John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney (R-MA) in 2012, the group did not endorse Trump in 2016. However, in August 2019, the Log Cabin Republicans endorsed President Trump’s reelection, prompting Horn to resign from her position. Also in 2019, Horn served as campaign manager for Bill Weld’s (R-MA) unsuccessful Republican primary challenge against Trump. ²⁴ By February 2022, the Washington Free Beacon reported that the Lincoln Project had paid out a $375,000 settlement to Horn, who left the organization in February 2021 after accusing the PAC of ignoring sexual misconduct allegations against John Weaver. ²⁵

Rick Wilson

Rick Wilson is a long-time Republican strategist who started his career in 1988 working for Connie Mack’s senatorial campaign and then on Vice President George Bush’s presidential campaign. He was then appointed to a position at the Department of Defense. In 1997, Wilson worked on Rudy Giuliani’s campaign for Mayor of New York City. ²⁶ Wilson became an outspoken opponent of Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign, suggesting Trump was backed by “white supremacists and neo-Nazis and frog meme idiots.” ²⁷ In August 2018, Wilson published the book Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real About the Worst President Ever. ²⁸ In February 2021, Wilson resigned from his position within the organization, along with Schmidt and Galen. ²⁹

Mike Madrid

Mike Madrid is a Republican strategist who specialized in outreach to Latino voters. In 2000, he served as public affairs director for the League of California Cities and as a strategic advisor to the California Redevelopment Association. He later served as press secretary for the California Assembly Republican leader and as a political director for the California Republican Party. He is currently an adjunct lecturer on race, class, and partisanship at the University of Southern California. ³⁰

Ron Steslow

Ron Steslow is a Republican strategist who started his career as a campaign coordinator for the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2007. In 2009, he was the campaign manager for David Knudson’s (R-SD) unsuccessful gubernatorial run. He then joined the unsuccessful Senate campaign of Linda McMahon (R-CT) who would later join the  Trump administration as head of the Small Business Administration. In 2015, Steslow was the digital director for Carly Fiorina’s presidential campaign. Also in 2015, Steslow founded Megaphone³¹  (also known as Citizen Super PAC), which spent over $2.5 million in the 2016 election cycle, and another $700,000 in the 2018 cycle, almost exclusively supporting Republicans. ³² Since 2018, Steslow has been the chief strategist for the SAM Party, a new political party made up of Republican and Democratic dissidents. Steslow also founded and has been the president of Tusk Digital, a marketing company with little online presence, since 2011. ³³

Steve Schmidt

Steve Schmidt is a longtime Republican campaign strategist best known for selecting and managing then-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R) as John McCain’s running mate in his unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign. Since 1995, Schmidt has worked on the campaigns of Will Scott (R-KY), Tim Leslie (R-CA), Matt Fong (R-CA), Lamar Alexander (R-CA), and Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA). He was also the communications director of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in 2000, and the spokesman and then communications director of the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2001-2002. Then he worked in a variety of advisory roles at the White House for President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Schmidt was a critic of Trump in 2016, and in 2018 he renounced the Republican Party entirely, calling it “corrupt, indecent, and immoral.” ³⁴ In 2019, Schmidt was hired by Starbucks billionaire Howard Schultz to manage a potential Independent presidential campaign that never came to fruition. Vanity Fair ran an article questioning Schmidt’s motives and positing that he was using Schultz for money and a boost in public profile. ³⁵

In February 2021, Schmidt, along with Rick Wilson and Reed Galen, had resigned from the organization’s board. According to 19th News, it was reportedly due to controversy over sexual misconduct allegations against John Weaver and co-founder Jennifer Horn’s claims that leadership had ignored said allegations. Another controversy mentioned were several anonymous accounts of former and current employees detailing a “toxic workplace” within the organization and the usage of inappropriate language within the office space and in political ads. ³⁶

John Weaver

John Weaver is a Texas-based Republican strategist. In the 1980s and 90s, he worked for Republican Congressional candidates Phil Gramm (R-TX), Tom Loeffler (R-TX), and Bill Clemens (R-TX). He then served as executive director of the Republican Party of Texas and organized George H.W. Bush’s presidential campaigns in Texas. Later, Weaver managed John McCain’s 2000 presidential campaign and initially led McCain’s 2008 Republican primary efforts before being ousted by the Arizona Senator. In 2012 he was a strategist for former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s presidential campaign. ³⁷

Politico reported that Weaver privately spoke with a Donald Trump campaign advisor and encouraged him to run for president. Weaver denies ever “explicitly pitching the [Trump] campaign,” and he ended up as the chief strategist for then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s (R) presidential run where he was an outspoken opponent of Trump. ³⁸

In May 2019, it was revealed that Weaver signed a $350,000 contract with a Russian nuclear energy subsidiary to lobby against economic sanctions against Russia. Due to public pressure, Weaver backed out of the contract. ³⁹

Funding

In the first nine months of its existence, the Lincoln Project raised almost $19.5 million in funds. As of May 2020, 59% of its funds had come from small donors making donations of $200 or less, an unusually high rate for a Super PAC. ⁴⁰

Some donors have given larger sums to the Lincoln project, including $50,000 from Silicon Valley billionaire Ron Conway,⁴¹ an opponent of Trump who has given millions to both Republican and Democratic candidates since 2016. ⁴²⁴³ Hedge fund investor Andrew Redleaf, who has pledged to vote “blue no matter who” has contributed $25,000. ⁴⁴⁴⁵ Walmart heir Christy Walton gave another $20,000; she also contributed over $100,000 to a super PAC formed by former Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper. ⁴⁶

The Lincoln Project’s largest contributor to-date is billionaire hedge fund manager Stephen Mandel, who has given $1 million. ⁴⁷ Though not outspoken about his politics, Mandel and his wife are major donors to Democratic-aligned groups: They donated $5 million to Priorities USA Action, the largest Democratic Super PAC;⁴⁸ over $200,000 to a Hillary Clinton-supporting Super PAC in 2016; and hundreds of thousands more to other Democratic PACs and candidates. ⁴⁹

In February 2021, the Washington Free Beacon revealed that some of the Lincoln Project’s major donors have connections to top Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The Lincoln Project received donations from Schumer-aligned “dark money” outfit Majority Forward and the Senate Majority PAC, and went on to make attack ads against Republican Senate candidates, helping Schumer and the Democrats take control of the Senate. The group of anti-Trump veteran Republican consultants also share a Washington D.C. post office box with left-wing groups Forward Majority and Defend the Vote. Additionally, the Free Beacon revealed that the organization’s custodian of records, Melissa Nissen, also works as the treasurer for Forward Majority. ⁵⁰

Expenditures

As of July 2020, the Lincoln Project had spent over $8.5 million. Almost $3 million has been spent to oppose President Trump and $723,000 was used to support Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Roughly another $1 million has been spent on opposing Republican legislators, including $460,000 against Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and almost $200,000 against Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA). In addition, $130,000 has been spent in support of Democratic senatorial candidate Steve Bullock (D-MT). ⁵¹

Controversies

Financial Practices

Critics have accused the Lincoln Project of numerous controversial financial practices, including purposefully obscuring its expenditures, spending relatively little of its funds on its stated goals, and of funneling money towards organizations owned by its founders. ⁵²⁵³

As of July 23, 2020, the Lincoln Project has paid Tusk Digital, a digital marketing company founded and run by co-founder Ron Steslow, $1,140,313 across 22 payments. During the same timeframe, the organization paid Summit Strategic Communications, run by co-founder Reed Galen, $1,134,523 across 32 payments. As of July 23, 2020, the Lincoln Project has steered about 25% of its total spending toward these two groups. ⁵⁴

Ordinarily, PACs pay vendors directly and all transactions are publicly recorded in accordance with FEC regulations. But with Tusk Digital and Summit Strategic Communications handling much of the Lincoln Project’s expenditure, there are no public disclosures of the final recipients of funds. ⁵⁵

Open Secrets has also expressed concerns about the unusually high production costs of the Lincoln Project’s advertisements. They found that of the $364,000 spent by Tusk and Summit on political ads opposing Trump and other Republicans, only half was spent on the buying and placing the advertisements, while the other half was spent on ad production. For one ad targeting Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ), only 25% of the Lincoln project’s $19,000 expenditure went to ad placement. ⁵⁶

It was also reported by 19th News that the Lincoln Project had not negotiated to determine whom or which group would hold the ownership of donor data collected by political ads that were released onto social media. Due to this, according to the article, the data’s market value only grew as more donors gave to the organization. According to several anonymous interviews from former and current employees, Schmidt frequently stated that the Lincoln Project was his, “vehicle to achieve “generational wealth.”” ⁵⁷

In August 2021, the Washington Free Beacon reported that the Lincoln Project’s own co-founder, George Conway, had expressed concerns about the group’s shady financial practices. According to the Free Beacon, “George Conway, an uncompensated founding member, is among those who think the Lincoln Project is too corrupt to continue in its current form. The super PAC ‘should shut down, absent full disclosure of its finances,’ he tweeted in March. ‘There’s simply too much money that hasn’t been accounted for, and, I fear, never will be.’” ⁵⁸

John Weaver Grooming Controversy

In February 2021, the Lincoln Project cut ties with Weaver amid accusations that Weaver had used his position to prey on young men, including one boy as young as 14 years old. The Lincoln Project denied having any knowledge of the accusations prior to a New York Times’ expose on Weaver, but in February 2021, the Washington Blade claimed to have obtained electronic communications disputing the group’s denials. The Blade claimed to have obtained messages between Madrid and one of Weaver’s accusers, as well as messages between Madrid and former Lincoln Project communications director Keith Edwards discussing the accusations. The Blade declined to publish the messages, citing the need to protect the “confidentiality of sources.” ⁵⁹

In February 2021, the Lincoln Project hired Paul Hastings LLP to review the organization’s “operations and culture” following the Weaver scandal. Although the Lincoln Project claimed the review was to investigate the way the organization handled the allegations against Weaver, the Washington Free Beacon reported that the firm’s review of the Lincoln Project was “oddly worded” to “give the appearance of transparency while still barring [employees] from discussing the Weaver scandal.” ⁶⁰ The Free Beacon also reported that Greg Nitzkowski, the managing partner at Paul Hastings LLP, and Elena Baca, chair of the firm’s employment law department, had each donated several thousand dollars to the Lincoln Project, casting further doubts on the impartiality of the investigation⁶¹

By February 2022, the Washington Free Beacon reported that the Lincoln Project had paid out nearly $375,000 in several settlements to Jennifer Horn, a co-founder of the Lincoln Project, since her resignation from the organization that same month after accusing the PAC of ignoring sexual misconduct allegations against John Weaver. ⁶²

Hiring of Joe Trippi

On July 6, 2021, the Lincoln Project announced that it would be hiring former Democratic Senate aide, Joe Trippi as a senior advisor. ⁶³ The very same day, the Washington Free Beacon published an article highlighting Trippi’s previous work for Senator Ted Kennedy (D., Mass.) and Senator John Edwards (D., NC), both of whom had a well-documented history of long running sexual misconduct. ⁶⁴ The Free Beacon noted that Trippi’s hiring came “just days after the scandal-plagued super PAC exonerated itself of wrongdoing with respect to John Weaver, the Lincoln Project cofounder who used his position of authority to sexually exploit vulnerable young men.” ⁶⁵

Staged White Supremacist Rally

On October 29, 2021, the Lincoln Project claimed responsibility for staging a hoax white nationalist rally where affiliates of the Virginia Democratic party dressed as right-wing protesters from the 2017 Charlottesville “Unite the Right” protest by carrying tiki torches and wearing white shirts. ⁶⁶ The purpose of the hoax was to make it appear that the 2021 Republican Virginia gubernational candidate, Glenn Youngkin, was backed by the “white supremacists,” who posed for pictures next to Youngkin’s campaign bus.

Pictures of the hoax were quickly shared online by communications staff for the campaign of Youngkin’s opponent, Terry McAuliffe,⁶⁷ and left-leaning journalists,⁶⁸ but were immediately considered suspicious by conservative figures. Reports soon surfaced on social media claiming that the “white supremacists” had been identified as long-time Democratic party operatives and supporters of Terry McAuliffe. ⁶⁹

After the identities of the hoax actors had already been discovered, the Lincoln Project released a statement vaguely claiming responsibility for the incident. The statement claimed that the hoax had merely been intended to remind Virginians of the violence that had occurred in Charlottesville. ⁷⁰ In addition, Lauren Windsor, the executive director of American Family Voices and affiliate of the disgraced Democracy Partners network, issued a statement claiming that she had worked “in her capacity as a communications consultant” with the Lincoln Project to coordinate the hoax.” ⁷¹

The hoax led to widespread criticism from left-leaning figures. Despite the fact that campaign staffers promoted the hoax on social media, Terry McAuliffe’s also campaign condemned it saying, “What happened today in Charlottesville is disgusting and distasteful and the McAuliffe campaign condemns it in the strongest terms.” ⁷² The Wall Street Journal editorial board called the hoax a “dirty campaign trick” meant to derail the Youngkin campaign’s surge in the polls⁷³ and CNN anchor, Pamela Brown, denounced the Lincoln Project for creating an atmosphere of distrust that she said would ultimately backfire on Democrats. ⁷⁴ Lincoln Project adviser, Stuart Stevens, later appeared on CNN to defend the hoax, claiming that the Lincoln Project was justified in playing political “hardball” against Youngkin. ⁷⁵

Right-leaning figures condemned the hoax as well. Journalists were infuriated that mainstream media and social media platforms were not consistent in holding the Lincoln Project accountable for its disinformation campaign. ⁷⁶ Meanwhile, a Fox News article pointed out that the Lincoln Project has previously denounced Republican leaders for spreading “misinformation.” ⁷⁷

Workplace Allegations

News nonprofit 19th News interviewed several anonymous current and former employees that made claims of inappropriate language being frequently used within both the workplace and in the Super PAC’s political ads. Many instances of language regarding gender and sexuality were used which, “made many of them uncomfortable, the dozens of interviews revealed.” ⁷⁸ One example used by 19th News was Ben Howe, a video editor for the Super PAC whom was once described in a July 2020 interview with Vanity Fair as, “the creative mind, video editor, and…sometimes narrating voice on many of the group’s ads.” ⁷⁹ Howe had been let go from the organization in July 2020 following several explicit tweets he had posted in which he used “offensive slang for female anatomy” directed against “political rivals.” ^{80 81}

Settlement with Jennifer Horn by 2022

In April 2022, it was reported that the Lincoln Project had donated roughly $100,000 in settlements to Jennifer Horn during the first quarter of 2022. Horn had resigned from the organization in February 2021 after accusing the group of ignoring sexual misconduct allegations against John Weaver, whom had been accused of sexual misconduct against more than 20 young men. ⁸² At the time of Horn’s departure from the Super PAC, the group initially claimed she had resigned due to disputes over her contract over requesting a, “$250,000 signing bonus and $40,000-per-month consulting deal.” The PAC had later criticized her by posting onto Twitter account exchanges Horn had with a reporter regarding the Weaver allegations, which were shortly taken down after. Following a public apology to Horn, Schmidt, along with co-founders Rick Wilson and Reed Galen, resigned from their positions in February 2021. ^{83 84 85} Financial record show that after her resignation, Horn received a $250,000 sum in July 2021 and then received roughly $25,000 a month since then. According to disclosures, as of April 2022, Horn received $50,000 in payment from the Lincoln Project January 2022, with an additional $25,000 during both February and March of that same year. Between February 2021 and April 2022, Horn had received nearly $475,000 in settlement payments from the Super PAC. ⁸⁶

Democratic Party Connections

Despite ostensibly representing conservatives and classical liberals disaffected with the Trump-era leadership of the Republican Party, the Lincoln Project has numerous connections to Democratic operatives. ⁸⁷

The Lincoln Project has engaged in “fundraising consulting services” from the Katz Watson Group, which was founded by Franz Katz Watson, the former national financial director of the Democratic National Committee. The Katz Watson Group has also provided services to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the U.S. Senate campaign of former U.S. Rep. Beto O’ Rourke (D-TX). The Lincoln Project has also paid Elrod Strategies, a firm run by Adrienne Elrod, the former director of strategic communications for Hillary for America. Zachary Czajkowski, who has worked for President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and other Democratic politicians, has also been paid as a consultant by the Lincoln Project. ⁸⁸

Likewise, the Lincoln Project’s communication director is Keith Edwards, who has worked exclusively for Democrats over the last few years. In 2018, Edwards was the campaign manager for Democratic New York Assemblyman Danny O’Donnell (D-Manhattan), and then worked as special assistant to City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Manhattan). In 2019, Edwards was a press lead for Michael Bloomberg’s Democratic presidential campaign. ⁸⁹

In November 2020, Federal Elections Commission filings showed that Majority Forward and Senate Majority PAC, Super PACs affiliated with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), had contributed to Lincoln Project.⁹⁰

1. “Videos.” Lincoln Project. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://lincolnproject.us/video/.
2. The Lincoln Project (FEC Committee ID 12FE4M5), Statement of Organization (FEC Form 1), July 29, 2020 https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/218/202007299261188218/202007299261188218.pdf
3. Foldi, Matthew. “Key Democratic Vendors Still Doing Business with Lincoln Project After Sex Scandal.” Washington Free Beacon, April 7, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/politics/democratic-party-lincoln-project/.
4. Watson, Michael. “The Lincoln Project Implodes.” Capital Research Center. Capital Research Center, February 12, 2021. https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-lincoln-project-implodes/.
5. “The Lincoln Project.” FEC. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00725820/?tab=summary/.
6. Lincoln Project. “Schedule A Itemized Receipts for Line 11C.” Federal Elections Commission, November 23, 2020. https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00725820/1478046/sa/11C.
7. Stiles, Andrew, and Matthew Foldi. “Lincoln Project IN RUINS: Disgraced Super PAC ABANDONS HEADQUARTERS (PHOTOS).” Washington Free Beacon, August 5, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/politics/lincoln-project-ruins/.
8. Williams, Jordan. “Lincoln Project Says It Sent People with Tiki Torches to Youngkin Event.” TheHill. The Hill, October 30, 2021. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/579216-lincoln-project-sent-people-with-tiki-torches-to-youngkin-event?rl=1.
9. Conway III, George T.; Schmidt, Steve; Weaver, John; Wilson, Rick. “We Are Republicans, and We Want Trump Defeated.” New York Times. December 17, 2019. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/17/opinion/lincoln-project.html.
10. Conway III, George T.; Schmidt, Steve; Weaver, John; Wilson, Rick. “We Are Republicans, and We Want Trump Defeated.” New York Times. December 17, 2019. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/17/opinion/lincoln-project.html.
11. Twitter. The Lincoln Project. November 6, 2020. Accessed November 9, 2020. https://twitter.com/ProjectLincoln/status/1324777843558092800.
12. Sargent, Greg. “Opinion | Inside the Lincoln Project’s New Campaign Targeting Trump’s Law Firm.” The Washington Post. WP Company, November 11, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/11/10/inside-lincoln-projects-new-campaign-targeting-trumps-law-firm/.
13. The Lincoln Project. Twitter. Accessed November 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201110174649/https://twitter.com/ProjectLincoln/status/1326211743991918593.
14. Chastain, Mary. “Lincoln Project Latest Campaign Targets Trump’s Law Firm, Lawyers, and Clients of the Firm.” Legal Insurrection, November 10, 2020. https://legalinsurrection.com/2020/11/lincoln-project-latest-campaign-targets-trumps-law-firm-lawyers-and-clients-of-the-firm/?eType=EmailBlastContent.
15. The Lincoln Project. Double Standard. YouTube. YouTube, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6HT6yQDKXM.
16. York, Byron (@ByronYork). “Whatever their original purpose was, they are Democratic strategists now.” Twitter, July 25, 2022. https://twitter.com/ByronYork/status/1551555138636206080
17. “Founders.” Lincoln Project. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://lincolnproject.us/team/.
18. Goggin, Benjamin; Cranley, Ellen. “A history of the times Kellyanne Conway’s Husband has roasted Trump.” Business Insider. December 3, 2019. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.businessinsider.com/george-conway-trump-tweets-kellyanne-2018-10?IR=T.
19. “Bio.” Mic. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.mic.com/profile/reed-galen-16192407.
20. “Reed Galen.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/reedgalen/.
21. Galen, Reed. “Never-Trumper Republicans should leave the GOP. But they need to think twice before following James Comey’s lead.” NBC news. July 18, 2018. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/republicans-against-trump-should-leave-gop-they-shouldn-t-automatically-ncna892301.
22. Becker, Amanda. “Inside the Lincoln Project’s ‘toxic’ workplace.” February 12, 2021. https://19thnews.org/2021/02/lincoln-project-toxic-workplace/
23. Behrmann, Savannah. “LGBT Group Board Member Resigns After the GOP Group Endorses Trump.” USA Today. August 20, 2019. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/08/20/jennifer-horn-log-cabin-republicans-board-member-resigns-group-endorses-trump/2061742001/
24. Krakow, Morgan. “Log Cabin Republicans endorsed Trump, so Jennifer Horn resigned.” Fosters.com. August 21, 2019. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.fosters.com/news/20190821/log-cabin-republicans-endorsed-trump-so-jennifer-horn-resigned.
25. Ross, Chuck. “Lincoln Project Pays Six-Figure Legal Settlement to Co-Founder Who Quit over Sex Pest John Weaver.” Washington Free Beacon, February 2, 2022. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/lincoln-project-quietly-pays-founder-who-quit-over-john-weaver-scandal/.
26. Ritholtz, Barry. “MIB: Rick Wilson, GOP Strategist.” The Big Picture. December 1, 2018 Accessed July 23, 2020. https://ritholtz.com/2018/12/mib-rick-wilson/.
27. Hains, Tim. “Rick Wilson: Donald Trump’s Base Consists of Neo-Nazis and ‘Frog Meme Idiots.’” Real Clear Politics. September 21, 2016. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/09/21/rick_wilson_donald_trumps_base_are_neo-nazis_and_frog_meme_idiots.html.
28. “Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist gets Real about the Worst President Ever.” Amazon. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Trump-Touches-Dies-Republican/dp/1982103124.
29. Becker, Amanda. “Inside the Lincoln Project’s ‘toxic’ workplace.” February 12, 2021. https://19thnews.org/2021/02/lincoln-project-toxic-workplace/
30. “Mike Madrid.” Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.igs.berkeley.edu/people/mike-madrid-0
31. “Ron Steslow.” Linkedin. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronsteslow/.
32. “Megaphone PAC.” Open Secrets. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00569517&cycle=2018.
33. “Ron Steslow.” Linkedin. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronsteslow/.
34. Chokshi, Niraj. “Steve Schmidt, Longtime G.O.P Strategist, quits ‘Corrupt’ and ‘Immoral’ Party.” New York Times. June 20, 2018. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/20/us/politics/party-of-trump-steve-schmidt.html.
35. Smith, Chris. “’He’s a Mr. Burns Foil’: Is Steve Schmidt Using Howard Schultz as a Money Job – or for a Centrist Fever Dream.” Vanity Fair. January 31, 2019. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/01/is-steve-schmidt-using-schultz-as-a-money-job-or-for-a-fever-dream.
36. Becker, Amanda. “Inside the Lincoln Project’s ‘toxic’ workplace.” February 12, 2021. https://19thnews.org/2021/02/lincoln-project-toxic-workplace/
37. Zengerle, Jason. “Winning isn’t Everything.” Politico. November/December 2015. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/10/john-weaver-consultant-213273.
38. Zengerle, Jason. “Winning isn’t Everything.” Politico. November/December 2015. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/10/john-weaver-consultant-213273.
39. “Top Kasich adviser agrees to lobby for Russians – then backs out.” Columbus Dispatch. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190516/top-kasich-adviser-agrees-to-lobby-for-russians—-then-backs-out.
40. Evers-Hillstrom. Karl. “Lincoln Project capitalizes on Trump’s rage as its spending comes under scrutiny.” Open Secrets. May 7, 2020. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/05/lincoln-project-capitalizes-on-trump-rage/.
41. Evers-Hillstrom. Karl. “Lincoln Project capitalizes on Trump’s rage as its spending comes under scrutiny.” Open Secrets. May 7, 2020. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/05/lincoln-project-capitalizes-on-trump-rage/.
42. Schleifer, Theodore. “Ten big Silicon Valley money players behind this November’s U.S. midterm elections.” Vox. August 20, 2018. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.vox.com/2018/8/20/17693048/silicon-valley-tech-donors-midterms-2018-democrats-donald-trump-list.
43. Redmond, Tim. “Ron Conway money helps GOP effort to keep control of Congress.” 48 hills. May 31, 2018. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://48hills.org/2018/05/conway-money-republican-congress/.
44. Evers-Hillstrom. Karl. “Lincoln Project capitalizes on Trump’s rage as its spending comes under scrutiny.” Open Secrets. May 7, 2020. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/05/lincoln-project-capitalizes-on-trump-rage/
45. Baker, Nathaniel. “Hedge Fund Founder Andrew Refleaf Talks Politics, Says He’ll Vote ‘Blue No Matter Who’ – Even Sanders.” Forbes. February 18, 2020. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanielbaker/2020/02/18/hedge-fund-founder-andrew-redleaf-talks-politics-says-hell-vote-blue-no-matter-who–even-sanders/#23683c2e4c71.
46. Evers-Hillstrom. Karl. “Lincoln Project capitalizes on Trump’s rage as its spending comes under scrutiny.” Open Secrets. May 7, 2020. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/05/lincoln-project-capitalizes-on-trump-rage/.
47. “The Lincoln Project.” FEC. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00725820/?tab=summary/.
48. “Mandel, Stephen Frank, Jr. & Susan Z.: Donor Details.” Open Secrets. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/donor_detail.php?cycle=2016&id=U0000000053&type=I&super=N&name=Mandel%2C+Stephen+Frank+Jr.+%26+Susan+Z..
49. “Steven Mandel Political Campaign Contributions 2016 Election Cycle.” CampaignMoney.com. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/stephen-mandel.asp?cycle=16.
50. Schoffstall, Joe. “The Lincoln Project Shares Personnel, Address With Liberal Election Groups.” Washington Free Beacon. Washington Free Beacon, February 2, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/politics/the-lincoln-project-shares-personnel-address-with-liberal-election-groups/.
51. “The Lincoln Project.” FEC. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00725820/?tab=summary/.
52. Evers-Hillstrom. Karl. “Lincoln Project capitalizes on Trump’s rage as its spending comes under scrutiny.” Open Secrets. May 7, 2020. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/05/lincoln-project-capitalizes-on-trump-rage/.
53. Stampley, Steve. “The Grifter Project.” National Review. July 20, 2020. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/07/lincoln-project-election-season-grift/.
54. “The Lincoln Project.” FEC. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00725820/?tab=summary/.
55. Stampley, Steve. “The Grifter Project.” National Review. July 20, 2020. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/07/lincoln-project-election-season-grift/.
56. Evers-Hillstrom. Karl. “Lincoln Project capitalizes on Trump’s rage as its spending comes under scrutiny.” Open Secrets. May 7, 2020. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/05/lincoln-project-capitalizes-on-trump-rage/.
57. Becker, Amanda. “Inside the Lincoln Project’s ‘toxic’ workplace.” February 12, 2021. https://19thnews.org/2021/02/lincoln-project-toxic-workplace/
58. Stiles, Andrew, and Matthew Foldi. “Lincoln Project IN RUINS: Disgraced Super PAC ABANDONS HEADQUARTERS (PHOTOS).” Washington Free Beacon, August 5, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/politics/lincoln-project-ruins/.
59. Johnson, Chris. “Lincoln Project’s Avowed Ignorance of Weaver Texts Undercut by Leaked Internal Talks.” Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights, February 9, 2021. https://www.washingtonblade.com/2021/02/09/lincoln-projects-avowed-ignorance-of-weaver-texts-undercut-by-leaked-communications/.
60. Stiles, Andrew, and Matthew Foldi. “Senior Partners at Firm Hired to ‘Review’ Lincoln Project Scandal Have Donated Thousands to Group.” Washington Free Beacon, February 16, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/politics/paul-hastings-lincoln-project/.
61. Stiles, Andrew, and Matthew Foldi. “Senior Partners at Firm Hired to ‘Review’ Lincoln Project Scandal Have Donated Thousands to Group.” Washington Free Beacon, February 16, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/politics/paul-hastings-lincoln-project/.
62. Ross, Chuck. “Lincoln Project Pays Six-Figure Legal Settlement to Co-Founder Who Quit over Sex Pest John Weaver.” Washington Free Beacon, February 2, 2022. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/lincoln-project-quietly-pays-founder-who-quit-over-john-weaver-scandal/.
63. Greenwood, Max. “Democratic Strategist Joe Trippi to Join Lincoln Project.” TheHill. The Hill, July 6, 2021. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/561626-democratic-strategist-joe-trippi-to-join-lincoln-project.
64. Stiles, Andrew. “Lincoln Project Hires Former Aide to Prominent Democratic Perverts.” Washington Free Beacon, July 6, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/politics/lincoln-project-perverts/.
65. Stiles, Andrew. “Lincoln Project Hires Former Aide to Prominent Democratic Perverts.” Washington Free Beacon, July 6, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/politics/lincoln-project-perverts/.
66. Williams, Jordan. “Lincoln Project Says It Sent People with Tiki Torches to Youngkin Event.” TheHill. The Hill, October 30, 2021. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/579216-lincoln-project-sent-people-with-tiki-torches-to-youngkin-event?rl=1.
67. Rutz, David. “Lincoln Project Faces Widespread Media Criticism over Latest Embarrassment, a Viral Hoax in Virginia Race.” Fox News. FOX News Network, November 1, 2021. https://www.foxnews.com/media/lincoln-projects-viral-hoax-smearing-youngkin-campaign-marks-latest-embarrassment-for-disgraced-group.
68. Williams, Jordan. “Lincoln Project Says It Sent People with Tiki Torches to Youngkin Event.” TheHill. The Hill, October 30, 2021. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/579216-lincoln-project-sent-people-with-tiki-torches-to-youngkin-event?rl=1.
69. Avila, Alejandro. “Torched: Virginia Dems Exposed for Pretending to Be White Supremacists at Republican’s Campaign Event.” OutKick, October 30, 2021. https://www.outkick.com/torched-virginia-dems-exposed-for-pretending-to-be-white-supremacists-at-republicans-campaign-event/.
70. “Statement from the Lincoln Project.” The Lincoln Project, October 30, 2021. https://lincolnproject.us/statement-from-the-lincoln-project-5/.
71. Williams, Jordan. “Lincoln Project Says It Sent People with Tiki Torches to Youngkin Event.” TheHill. The Hill, October 30, 2021. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/579216-lincoln-project-sent-people-with-tiki-torches-to-youngkin-event?rl=1.
72. Williams, Jordan. “Lincoln Project Says It Sent People with Tiki Torches to Youngkin Event.” TheHill. The Hill, October 30, 2021. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/579216-lincoln-project-sent-people-with-tiki-torches-to-youngkin-event?rl=1.
73. Board, The Editorial. “Opinion | A Dirty Campaign Trick in Virginia.” The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, October 31, 2021. https://www.wsj.com/articles/virginia-gubernatorial-governor-race-mcauliffe-youngkin-tiki-torch-lincoln-project-11635713368.
74. Rutz, David. “Lincoln Project Faces Widespread Media Criticism over Latest Embarrassment, a Viral Hoax in Virginia Race.” Fox News. FOX News Network, November 1, 2021. https://www.foxnews.com/media/lincoln-projects-viral-hoax-smearing-youngkin-campaign-marks-latest-embarrassment-for-disgraced-group.
75. Stimson, Brie. “Lincoln Project Co-Founder Doubles down on ‘Unite the Right’ Stunt at Youngkin Rally.” Fox News. FOX News Network, October 31, 2021. https://www.foxnews.com/media/lincoln-project-stuart-stevens-virginia-tiki-stunt-youngkin-rally.
76. “Journalists Slam Lincoln Project for Racial Hoax against Youngkin Campaign.” Yahoo! News. Yahoo! Accessed November 1, 2021. https://news.yahoo.com/journalists-slam-lincoln-project-racial-154332922.html.
77. Rutz, David. “Lincoln Project Faces Widespread Media Criticism over Latest Embarrassment, a Viral Hoax in Virginia Race.” Fox News. FOX News Network, November 1, 2021. https://www.foxnews.com/media/lincoln-projects-viral-hoax-smearing-youngkin-campaign-marks-latest-embarrassment-for-disgraced-group.
78. Becker, Amanda. “Inside the Lincoln Project’s ‘toxic’ workplace.” February 12, 2021. https://19thnews.org/2021/02/lincoln-project-toxic-workplace/
79. Becker, Amanda. “Lincoln Project video editor is out over crude tweets about female anatomy.” The Washington Post, July 14, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/07/14/lincoln-project-video-editor-is-out-over-crude-tweets-about-female-anatomy/
80. Becker, Amanda. “Inside the Lincoln Project’s ‘toxic’ workplace.” February 12, 2021. https://19thnews.org/2021/02/lincoln-project-toxic-workplace/
81. Becker, Amanda. “Lincoln Project video editor is out over crude tweets about female anatomy.” The Washington Post, July 14, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/07/14/lincoln-project-video-editor-is-out-over-crude-tweets-about-female-anatomy/
82. Ross, Chuck. “Lincoln Project Shells Out $100K in Mystery Legal Settlement With Cofounder.” The Washington Free Beacon, April 18, 2022. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/lincoln-project-shells-out-100k-in-mystery-legal-settlement-with-cofounder/
83. Ross, Chuck. “Lincoln Project Shells Out $100K in Mystery Legal Settlement With Cofounder.” The Washington Free Beacon, April 18, 2022. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/lincoln-project-shells-out-100k-in-mystery-legal-settlement-with-cofounder/
84. Ross, Chuck. “Lincoln Project Pays Six-Figure Legal Settlement to Co-Founder Who Quit over Sex Pest John Weaver.” Washington Free Beacon, February 2, 2022. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/lincoln-project-quietly-pays-founder-who-quit-over-john-weaver-scandal/.
85. Becker, Amanda. “Inside the Lincoln Project’s ‘toxic’ workplace.” February 12, 2021. https://19thnews.org/2021/02/lincoln-project-toxic-workplace/
86. Ross, Chuck. “Lincoln Project Shells Out $100K in Mystery Legal Settlement With Cofounder.” The Washington Free Beacon, April 18, 2022. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/lincoln-project-shells-out-100k-in-mystery-legal-settlement-with-cofounder/
87. Stampley, Steve. “The Grifter Project.” National Review. July 20, 2020. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/07/lincoln-project-election-season-grift/.
88. Stampley, Steve. “The Grifter Project.” National Review. July 20, 2020. Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/07/lincoln-project-election-season-grift/.
89. “Keith Edwards.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-edwards-46815827/.
90. Lincoln Project. “Schedule A Itemized Receipts for Line 11C.” Federal Elections Commission, November 23, 2020. https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00725820/1478046/sa/11C.