UPDATE 2/16/21: Several individuals released from nondisclosure agreements by the Lincoln Project said Sarah Lenti knew of the harassment allegations against Weaver dating back to May 2020, far earlier than previously reported.
Sarah Lenti, who was executive director of the Lincoln Project until January 2021 when she became a managing partner of the group, not only knew about the allegations against Weaver earlier than last summer, but she brushed it off when contacted by a victim of Weaver. pic.twitter.com/zoJHx8nKuK
— Cameron Cawthorne (@Cam_Cawthorne) February 16, 2021
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Former Executive Director for the Lincoln Project Sarah Lenti reportedly acknowledged she knew of sexual harassment allegations against one of the group’s co-founders last September.
Lenti, a political consultant and former Bush White House staffer, has been based out of Denver for the last nine years.
The organization experienced a rapid implosion this week following revelations the anti-Trump Super PAC failed to take action against John Weaver amid credible allegations of sexual harassment against young male interns.
Steve Schmidt, another co-founder of the organization, resigned from the group on Friday.
Weaver’s behavior has apparently been widely known in political circles for some time.
According to investigative journalist Ryan Girdusky, at least one alleged victim contacted Lenti about his concerns in September.
Lenti reportedly admitted she knew about the allegations against Weaver, but “brushed it off.”
According to several mutual friends, @MollyJongFast heard I had this story back in the early summer. And that it was circulating several outlets.
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) January 31, 2021
I’m sure more names will be added, but these are Lincoln Project leaders who were reportedly told about Weaver allegations last year.
Reed Galen (Co-Founder)
Mike Madrid (CF)
Ron Steslow (CF)
Keith Edwards (CD)
Sarah Lenti (Managing Partner)
Matthew Sanderson (Counsel)— Cameron Cawthorne (@Cam_Cawthorne) February 11, 2021
Yesterday Lenti deactivated her Twitter account.
It appears former Lincoln Project executive director Sarah Lenti has deactivated her Twitter account. pic.twitter.com/205Ja0mNDs
— Cameron Cawthorne (@Cam_Cawthorne) February 13, 2021
Circumstantial evidence suggests Lenti, along with multiple other senior Lincoln Project members, were likely aware of the allegations last summer.
However, the Lincoln Project took no action against Weaver.
Weaver resigned in January just before the New York Times ran their own story with allegations from 21 young men against the now disgraced operative.
Lenti’s apparent indifference to the plight of the alleged victims is especially hypocritical considering she claimed to oppose Trump over character concerns.
For me, it went beyond policy; it cut to character. And in certain instances, character is more important than policy. Because if your character’s wrong, the policy falls out incorrectly.
Prior to these bombshell allegations the Lincoln Project was attempting to blacklist former Trump officials and staff from future jobs.
It appears as though Lincoln Project staffers are worried about being blacklisted themselves for ignoring a serial harasser in their midst.
Six former Lincoln Project employees and associates signed an anonymous letter asking to be released from non-disclosure agreements to discuss the organization’s response to the Weaver scandal.
It is unclear if Lenti is among the signers.