Lincoln Project co-founder slapped with restraining order, even as he accuses others of harassment

The former face of the Lincoln Project, the organization with the expressed mission to "defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box" and "ensure Trumpism failed alongside him," has been issued a restraining order amidst a seemingly tumultuous divorce.

Steve Schmidt — who founded the Lincoln Project along with Reed Galen, John Weaver, and Rick Wilson while former President Trump was still in office — and his wife Angela are currently divorcing in the state of Utah. Back in August, Mrs. Schmidt filed for a restraining order against her soon-to-be ex-husband, and that filing was then amended and granted on October 16, according to an exclusive report from the Daily Caller.

The actions that allegedly precipitated the request for the restraining order are not known. However, the Daily Caller reported that Utah law permits restraining orders during divorce and child custody proceedings only if a judge believes that one party will sustain "irreparable harm unless the court issues an order." The law does not obligate the judge granting the order to inform the subject that a restraining order has been issued against him or her.

Read the entire redacted restraining order issued against Schmidt here:

Schmidt restraining order.pdf

Despite obvious problems in his own home, Steve Schmidt has made serious accusations against various media and political figures, including those who have long since passed away. This May, Schmidt admitted that he did not vote for Sen. John McCain (R), whose 2008 presidential campaign Schmidt managed, calling McCain "unfit" for office. He also called McCain's daughter, Meghan McCain, "rotten, entitled, spoiled, cruel, mean and bullying."

Then just recently, Schmidt took Republican Senator-elect J. D. Vance of Ohio wildly out of context and accused him of advising victims of domestic violence "to stick around for the next beating."

"I really think most normal people don’t think women who are beaten should stay married to the men who beat, shoot, stab, burn and torture them," tweeted Schmidt, who ran the campaign of Vance's former political opponent, Democrat Tim Ryan. "JD Vance [sic] proves this theory. He wants the beaten women to stick around for the next beating. It’s extreme and sick. It’s disqualifyin[g.]"

Vance had merely criticized no-fault divorce.

Schmidt also recently referenced accusations of sexual harassment leveled against late Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, tweeting on November 2: "I used to be smuggled into Fox News for secret meetings with Ailes. Same elevator he abused the women out of."

Schmidt associated former U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens of Missouri with domestic violence as well.

Despite Schmidt's accusations against many different public figures, both alive and deceased, Schmidt has been on the wrong end of harassment accusations himself. For example, the Coalition for Women in Journalism claimed back in March that Schmidt had harassed New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman on Twitter.

"The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the incident and demands that Steve Schmidt offers an apology, not just for his unprofessional opinion but also for his latest attempt to bully Maggie Haberman on social media," the organization said in a statement.

Schmidt resigned from the Lincoln Project board in 2021. Weaver, who worked alongside Schmidt on the McCain campaign, likewise resigned from the Lincoln Project after he reportedly sent sexual messages to young men, some of whom were underage at the time.

Schmidt publicly condemned Weaver after the accusations came to light and claimed he had been unaware of Weaver's allegedly abusive behavior. However, some dispute that claim and insist that Schmidt was aware of the accusations by October 2020 at the latest.