NEW YORK (AP) – The Lincoln Project, one of the most well-known and funded organizations in the so-called Never Trump movement, announced plans on Thursday to launch an outside investigation to revise the mandate of a co-founder accused of sexual harassment.
The announcement came hours after the Associated Press reported that members of the organization’s leadership have been informed in writing and in subsequent calls of at least 10 specific allegations of sexual harassment against co-founder John Weaver, including two involving Lincoln Project employees. The revelations raised questions about the Lincoln Project’s statement last month that it was “shocked” when the charges publicly surfaced this year.
In a statement released late on Thursday, the organization announced that its board had decided to retain “a first-class outside professional” to revise Weaver’s mandate “to establish accountability and best practices in the future for the Lincoln Project.”
The organization also encouraged anyone bound by a confidentiality agreement to contact the Lincoln Project “to obtain a release”.
The situation threatens the stature not only of Project Lincoln, but also of the broader coalition of establishment-oriented Republican groups working to remove Trump from the party.
Lincoln Project co-founder Steve Schmidt insisted late on Wednesday that he and the rest of the group’s leadership were unaware of any internal allegations of wrongdoing involving Weaver.
“The Lincoln Project believes that the members of our movement and the victims of John Weaver’s despicable and deceptive behavior are due to the facts, and you will have them,” the organization said in a written statement late on Thursday. “John Weaver has betrayed us all and you deserve the facts presented independently through a transparent process.”
Weaver declined to comment on the previous AP story, but in a statement released last month to Axios, he generally acknowledged the misconduct and apologized.
“For the men I made uncomfortable with my messages, who at the time considered consensual mutual conversations: I’m sorry,” he wrote. “They were inadequate and it was because of my failures that this discomfort was caused to you.”