Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson denied knowing about the sexual harassment allegations against his former colleague John Weaver and appeared to threaten legal action against people suggesting otherwise.
“The folks who are accusing us of awareness of this are sick. They are in fact putting themselves in jeopardy,” Wilson said at the 1:07:45 mark of an episode of The Breakdown, which he co-hosts with Tara Setmayer. The episode aired on Twitter Broadcast on Feb. 2.
“The folks who are accusing us of awareness of this are sick. They are in fact putting themselves in jeopardy. I’ll just say that as bluntly as I can. There will be a moment soon where the jeopardy you put yourself in by making those accusations.” – Rick Wilson pic.twitter.com/RRh3YU71I6
— Cameron Cawthorne (@Cam_Cawthorne) February 3, 2021
Setmayer was listed as a Lincoln Project senior advisor as recently as Jan. 14, but the Lincoln Project has since removed a webpage titled “Our Team.” She continues to list herself as senior adviser to the Lincoln Project on her LinkedIn page. Setmayer is also a political commentator on CNN.
The sexual misconduct claims against Weaver were considered to be somewhat of an open secret in the Washington political world. Karl Rove told Fox News that he became aware of the allegations against Weaver in 1988.
Karl Rove is asked about Lincoln Project founder John Weaver:
“I’ve actually known about this pattern of behavior since 1988.”pic.twitter.com/1HU7ND4Fal
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 1, 2021
Wilson and his fellow Lincoln Project co-founders Steve Schmidt and George Conway appeared on MSNBC 17 times between Jan. 11, when The American Conservative’s Ryan Girdusky first reported on the allegations, and Jan. 31, when the New York Times reported that Weaver had messaged with a minor via Twitter. Conway first commented on the allegations on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Feb. 1, calling them “terrible, and awful, and appalling.”
Wilson did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.