Capitol Weekly Podcast: After the Lincoln Project

The past few weeks have seen a spectacular implosion of The Lincoln Project, the high profile collective of never-Trumper ex-Republican political operatives that spent the 2020 election cycle battering the president and his allies with scorching ads, videos and commentary.

Whether the Lincoln Project’s efforts were effective in the race, or simply played to their base – the Trump-hating Democrats who supplied the majority of their funding – is an open question. What is not in question is the success of their fundraising; the group brought in nearly $90 million in donations, the bulk of which appears to have gone to the principals or to affiliated companies.

Now, just weeks after Trump exited the White House, The Lincoln Project seems to have disintegrated, destroyed by an expanding scandal that follows revelations of inappropriate and predatory behavior by co-founder John Weaver, and amid questions of a possible cover up by other members of the group.

Longtime GOP political strategist Rob Stutzman joins Capitol Weekly’s Tim Foster and John Howard to talk about the scandal, the fundraising, the effectiveness of The Lincoln Project’s campaigns, and his frustrations with the group.

We also asked him about the potential recall of Governor Newsom and if he has a favorite pick to replace Xavier Becerra as AG.