New Data Shows Just How Much The Lincoln Project Grifted in 2022

The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.

The Lincoln Project recently bragged about ‘successes’ in 2022, making their scam even more obvious.

Many have probably moved on from the anti-Trump/pro-Biden, wholesale scam factory that is The Lincoln Project. These former Republican “operatives” have become mostly a laughingstock to all but those duped check-writers who still see them as the needed opposition to the deplorable menace of this country. The outfit’s 2022 financials have been found, and their spend-versus-performance record from last year is now revealed in a laughable fashion.

Research Director for the non-partisan California Target Book, Rob Pyers has once again given us the breakdown of the money flow at this organization, and it shows what most have come to realize about the group: Self-enrichment is the primary goal of these political shysters. The group hoovered in over $12 million in contributions, and they managed to employ roughly eight percent of those funds to actual political work.

The Lincoln Project wraps up 2022 having raised $12.6M, spending ~$1M on political independent expenditures, w/the remaining $11.8M going to assorted other operating expenditures (chiefly legal fees/payouts and #resist-funded generational wealth transfers to the usual suspects). https://t.co/ZB28EW8CSa pic.twitter.com/NKk68y40Br

— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) January 31, 2023

The balance of the monies went to targeted accounts in a fashion designed to enrich the members. This is done by expenses paid out to media outfits, consulting firms, and other operations owned by TLP leadership. One way is to commission a campaign ad with a production company, it goes on to make a crude ad on the cheap, but then charges a mint for services.

Pyers gives a breakdown of the payouts–and which names from the group are attached to them.

Among the Lincoln Project’s 2022 top vendors:

$1.7M Lever Communications (Joe Trippi)
$792K Summit Strategic (Reed Galen)
$595K Manhattan Creative (Joey Wartnerchaney)
$501K Message Mountain (Stu Stevens)
$450K Intrepid Media (Rick Wilson)
$445K Third Act Media (Ben Howe) https://t.co/d4kxg2kQbb

— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) January 31, 2023

Peering over some of the ledger entries, there is an amusing logline. In 2022, they expensed over $551,000 for podcast services. That is a rather obscene total, when you consider how inexpensive it is to make a podcast these days. Any podcast subsisting on advertising would be happy with making half a million dollars annually. That sum was a charged amount; considering this is primarily Rick Wilson and Molly Jong-Fast gas-bagging about Trump and Republicans. Spending over $10,000 a week would deliver a poor ROI, if this were a legitimate operation.

But what makes this gross money figure even grosser is a recent brag that came from TLP. All that is needed to see how poorly these riches were spent is to see the claims made regarding the recent midterm elections. The Lincoln Project is boasting that they were successful in halting Trump and his hand-picked minions this past November.

Has anyone seen that red wave? No? Us either.

We beat Trumpy candidates 17 times in 2022. We picked our battles, and we won. Bigly, as they say. The next time is going to be on Election Day 2024. pic.twitter.com/vy8zFBKdkA

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) January 30, 2023

Now, can they point to anything definitive that proves they managed to be influential in any capacity this last election cycle? No, not in any fashion. But it gets better. Let us play the Devil’s advocate here (a more than accurate metaphor) and suppose they did in fact effect change in those races. Were this at all accurate, the success rate would be about the same as the percentage of funds they spent on politics.

This is because Trump actually endorsed close to 200 candidates last year.

A total of 25 Senate candidates and 162 House candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump were on the ballot in the Nov. 8 midterm elections. When it comes to general-election candidates endorsed by Trump, the former president’s win rate is relatively high: at least 68% on the Senate side, with four races yet to be decided, and at least 87% on the House side, with 12 outstanding races.

Bragging that they halted 17 races is less than a humble brag; it is a downright embarrassing success rate. Well done, you grifting simpletons. The only thing more embarrassing than that record would be if you were one of the people cutting sizeable checks to this scam factory. About the only thing you got out of your donation was a tax write-off – money better spent on a legitimate charity, which TLP accuses the GOP of wanting to curtail.