Lincoln Project’s Stuart Stevens Defends Tiki Torch Stunt: ‘The Question Is, Why Hasn’t Glenn Youngkin Denounced Donald Trump?’

Chris Cuomo asked Stuart Stevens of the Lincoln Project if he backs the stunt his organization pulled on Friday.

In that episode, several people carried tiki torches and dressed similarly to the White nationalists who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 stood by Glenn Youngkin’s campaign bus. Youngkin, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, is the Republican nominee for governor in Virginia and will face Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Tuesday’s election.

The Lincoln Project admitted it was behind the the stunt and was widely denounced by people across the political spectrum.

Cuomo talked to Stevens on Friday night about the incident.

“Some people showed up at a Youngkin event posing as Charlottesville protestors,” said Cuomo. “A group you’re with, the Lincoln Project, owned that it was them, that they posed this way because they wanted people to remember. You’re getting crushed by people on the right as a dirty tactic. Do you stand behind what was done and is that being what you guys say you oppose?

“No,” said Stevens, seemingly addressing the second part of Cuomo’s question. “Listen, every day I hear people pleading with the Lincoln Project to help show Democrats how to win, how to play hardball. You know, this is an example.”

Stevens then changed the subject from the stunt to Trump’s infamous comment about the Charlottesville rally and counterprotest. “You had some very bad people in that group,” he said at the time. “But you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.” During one protest, a White nationalists drove his car into demonstrators, killing a woman.

“The question here is not about some guys who showed up at a rally,” said Stevens. “It’s why hasn’t Glenn Youngkin denounced Donald Trump for saying that there are good people on both sides? I mean, that is absolutely outrageous. And it’s because Glenn Youngkin wants it both ways. And I think that’s the message that needs to be driven here. You know, the Lincoln Project was the first in this race to put Charlottesville in an ad. And some people thought maybe it went too far. But we did it. And it worked. And then McAuliffe’s campaign followed us and put Charlottesville in a very good ad they did. So I think the question here is, we can’t ignore what happened in Charlottesville, the question is why hasn’t Glenn Youngkin denounced Donald Trump?”

Watch above via CNN.