JUST IN: Lincoln Project Co-Founder Steve Schmidt Steps Down

Lincoln Project co-founder Steve Schmidt announced Friday he was resigning from his group’s board as a result of the escalating allegations against one of his fellow co-founders, John Weaver.

“A touch on a table at age 13 that lasted seconds has been a defining event in my life,” Schmidt said in a dramatic statement addressing the allegations provided to Axios. “It never went away. That moment bequeathed me the three companions of my life that are always close and often present: anger, shame and depression.”

Schmidt, who worked with Weaver as a former senior aide to the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) during his 2008 presidential campaign, opened up about a disturbing incident from when he was 13 years old in the statement. He said adults in his case opted not to turn the perpetrator over to police.

“Something else happened in that cabin that day,” Schmidt wrote. “The extroverted little boy who walked in died; an introverted boy with deep trust issues walked out. Before that day, I have no memory of ever feeling anger. After that day — and despite the passage of so many years — the anger has never left. It’s always there; below the surface. It has risen up many times over the years.”

He credited Newsbusters’ Curtis Houck, who wrote several years ago about his own struggle with depression and previous attempts to kill himself, with helping him. “He attacks me and the Lincoln Project with fervor and glee, and yet one day he wrote bravely about his struggles with depression,” Schmidt wrote. “When I read it, I felt like it was meant for me and I reach out to him to thank him. He saved my life and liberated me from a fear of seeking help.”

Schmidt then took aim at Weaver. “I met a man for the first time in my life in late 2006,” he said. “His name was John Weaver. I met him at a fundraiser for Arnold Schwarzenegger where John McCain was the headliner at the end of the 2006 campaign. I arrived at that event with Arnold and I left with McCain…. During all the time I worked for John McCain I never heard a single person ever whisper that John Weaver was a predator.

“I did not have a professional relationship with John Weaver again until December 2019,” Schmidt added. “I have said on the record that I learned about Weaver’s misconduct this past January. I know this is true, and I have certainty that the Lincoln Project independent investigation into John Weaver’s conduct will validate this.”

Schmidt said he was resigning his seat on the board “to make room” for a female board member, because the present board of “four middle-aged white men” failed to “reflect our nation.” He added, “For me, it’s time to step back from the from — to get healthy mentally, physically and spiritually.”

Allegations that the 61-year-old Weaver, who is married, propositioned young men online surfaced in early January. He resigned from the Lincoln Project last month, and the FBI is reportedly investigating the issue.

Schmidt’s statement also addresses the stunning (now-deleted) Lincoln Project tweet Thursday night that showed direct messages between a reporter and one co-founder, Jennifer Horn, who recently left the organization. Schmidt said, “That direct message should never have been made public. It is my job as the senior leader to accept responsibility for the tremendous misjudgment to release it.”