Meghan McCain distanced herself and her family Friday from Steve Schmidt and John Weaver, both cofounders of The Lincoln Project, amid the fallout from sexual misconduct allegations against Weaver.
“I’ve been very hesitant to comment but since my deceased father keeps getting invoked I will say this,” McCain began in a three-tweet thread addressing the controversy. “John Weaver and Steve Schmidt were so despised by my Dad he made it a point to ban them from his funeral. Since 2008, no McCain would have spit on them if they were on fire.”
1. I've been very hesitant to comment but since my deceased father keeps getting invoked I will say this:
John Weaver and Steve Schmidt were so despised by my Dad he made it a point to ban them from his funeral. Since 2008, no McCain would have spit on them if they were on fire.
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) February 13, 2021
“My heart goes out to the victims of John Weaver, it’s abhorrent and evil – everyone who knew that this was going on deserves to be held accountable,” McCain continued. “I hope that anyone who covered up for this never works in politics ever again.”
2. My heart goes out to the victims of John Weaver, it's abhorrent and evil – everyone who knew that this was going on deserves to be held accountable. I hope that anyone who covered up for this never works in politics ever again.
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) February 13, 2021
“What disgusts me so much is that anyone who would engage in such awful and potentially illegal behavior would use their media associations with my father to gain opportunities. My dad was betrayed by you, hated you for it, and we all know it,” she added.
3. What disgusts me so much is that anyone who would engage in such awful and potentially illegal behavior would use their media associations with my father to gain opportunities. My dad was betrayed by you, hated you for it, and we all know it.
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) February 13, 2021
Schmidt, a former Republican campaign strategist who worked on the late Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) 2008 presidential campaign, resigned from The Lincoln Project on Friday amid allegations that his fellow cofounder Weaver allegedly exhibited sexually predatory behavior toward young men in exchange for career advancement, according to Axios.
As part of a lengthy statement regarding his resignation, Schmidt talked about how he had also allegedly been molested. As The Daily Wire reported:
“It was just a touch — a light one — and it lasted for only a moment,” Schmidt began in a lengthy statement given to journalist Miranda Green. Schmidt went on to recount in detail how, when he was a 13-year-old Boy Scout, a camp medic named Ray allegedly molested him.
Schmidt went on to claim his experience “immolated” his Catholic faith, especially since he claimed it was disgraced Cardinal Theodore McCarrick to whom he reached out to tell his story.
“A touch on a table at age 13 that lasted seconds has been a defining event in my life,” Schmidt wrote. “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 went on to use his own experience as a springboard to comment on the allegations against Weaver.
During an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson in August, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin blasted Schmidt as “a piece of work” and accused him and Nicolle Wallace of being “yahoos” and “wolves in sheep’s clothing” who sabotaged her 2008 campaign with McCain. “But look where they are today,” she said.
“You know, those of us who were kind of victims of what they’re capable of, it’s kind of vindication for us,” Palin added. “It’s like, ‘See, told you so! They were never on our team to begin with.’”
WATCH:
Tucker Carlson gives Sarah Palin an opportunity to lash out at Steve Schmidt and Nicolle Wallace. She says there was a lot of sabotage going on there. pic.twitter.com/Mw6QCmX3uH
— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) August 20, 2020
Related: Steve Schmidt Resigns From The Lincoln Project, Releases Statement Claiming He Was Molested At 13