{"id":187823,"date":"2021-03-03T05:15:33","date_gmt":"2021-03-03T10:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=187823"},"modified":"2021-03-03T05:15:37","modified_gmt":"2021-03-03T10:15:37","slug":"former-flack-for-gop-russia-stooge-finds-redemption-as-lincoln-project-damage-control-adviser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-flack-for-gop-russia-stooge-finds-redemption-as-lincoln-project-damage-control-adviser\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Flack for GOP Russia Stooge Finds Redemption as Lincoln Project Damage Control Adviser"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fformer-flack-for-gop-russia-stooge-finds-redemption-as-lincoln-project-damage-control-adviser%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=187823&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/LP-setmayer.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Earlier this year, the\u00a0Lincoln Project announced it was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stuartpstevens\/status\/1347984342715301888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">building<\/a> a database of former Trump administration employees to ensure they &#8220;will be held accountable&#8221; and &#8220;not allowed to pretend they were not involved.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The super PAC&#8217;s obsession with accountability, however, did not prevent it from hiring Tara Setmayer, who previously worked for seven years as communications director for a Trump-supporting congressman with deep ties to Russia.<\/p>\n<div class=\"posts-content__category-widget md:hidden -ml-4 -mr-4 my-8 px-4 py-6 bg-gray-100\">\n<h4 class=\"mt-0 text-red-600 font-medium font-sans uppercase\">Recent Stories in Politics<\/h4>\n<ul class=\"list-none p-0\">\n<li class><a class=\"text-black block mb-3 pb-3 border-b border-white\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/politics\/former-flack-for-gop-russia-stooge-finds-redemption-as-lincoln-project-damage-control-adviser\/\"><strong>Former Flack for GOP Russia Stooge Finds Redemption as Lincoln Project Damage Control Adviser<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li class><a class=\"text-black block mb-3 pb-3 border-b border-white\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/politics\/house-republicans-push-bill-aimed-at-balancing-lgbt-rights-and-religious-freedom\/\"><strong>House Republicans Push Bill Aimed at Balancing LGBT Rights and Religious Freedom<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li class><a class=\"text-black block mb-3 pb-3 border-b border-white\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/politics\/buttigieg-bike-share\/\"><strong>NERD ALERT: Pete Buttigieg Rides Communal Bicycle Home From Work, Wears Helmet<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Setmayer, who joined the Lincoln Project as a senior adviser in February 2020, was recently <a href=\"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/08\/58\/16aa7b2b48f2a7b91402da50e92e\/tlp-memo-transition-committee-02-17-21-final-copy.pdf?nname=playbook&#038;nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&#038;nrid=0000014e-f115-dd93-ad7f-f91513e50001&#038;nlid=630318\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tapped<\/a> to chair a temporary &#8220;transition advisory committee&#8221; to oversee the work of external consultants conducting a &#8220;comprehensive review&#8221; of the group&#8217;s &#8220;operations and culture.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Lincoln Project announced last month that the law firm Paul Hastings would review the organization&#8217;s conduct as it relates to cofounder John Weaver&#8217;s predatory interactions with dozens of young men. The law firm&#8217;s ability to conduct an impartial review has already been undermined by the fact that several of its senior partners are Lincoln Project <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/politics\/paul-hastings-lincoln-project\/\">donors<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Before joining the Lincoln Project, Setmayer worked in the office of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R., Calif.) from 2006 to 2013. An avid supporter of Donald Trump, the congressman has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2016\/11\/putin-congress-rohrabacher-trump-231775\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">described<\/a> as &#8220;Putin&#8217;s favorite.&#8221; Setmayer\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TaraSetmayer\/status\/1252439675177971712\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">claims<\/a> she left Rohrabacher&#8217;s office (to go work for Glenn Beck) before the congressman &#8220;began taking untenable Russia positions,&#8221; but that&#8217;s debatable.<\/p>\n<p>Rohrabacher earned his reputation as a Putin apologist long before Trump announced his campaign for president. His pro-Russian bonafides were well established by the time Setmayer began working in his office and became increasingly more pronounced during her tenure.<\/p>\n<p>Rohrabacher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scpr.org\/programs\/offramp\/2013\/09\/12\/33692\/congressman-dana-rohrabacher-i-arm-wrestled-vladim\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">claims<\/a> to have met Vladimir Putin in the early 1990s in Washington, D.C., where he played touch football with the former KGB agent and his bodyguards and lost an arm-wrestling match with Putin at an Irish pub. &#8220;His muscles are just unbelievable,&#8221; the congressman said in a 2013 interview about his support for Russia&#8217;s role in the Syrian civil war. Russia has since been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-syria-crisis-chemicalweapons\/u-s-accuses-russia-of-helping-syria-cover-up-chemical-weapons-use-idUSKBN1Y21IJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">accused<\/a> of helping the Syrian government cover up chemical weapons attacks on civilians.<\/p>\n<p>In 2008, Rohrabacher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taiwannews.com.tw\/en\/news\/737944\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">defended<\/a> Russia&#8217;s military intervention in Georgia, citing anonymous intelligence sources to argue that Russia had acted in self-defense.\u00a0&#8220;The Russians were right; we&#8217;re wrong,&#8221; he said during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing.\u00a0&#8220;The Georgians started it; the Russians ended it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The military intervention was otherwise universally condemned by U.S. political leaders, including then-President George W. Bush and then-Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Russia&#8217;s actions were also condemned by the Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), who was being advised at the time by Lincoln Project founders John Weaver and Steve Schmidt.<\/p>\n<p>In 2012, FBI agents met with Rohrabacher to <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20171121144509\/https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/05\/19\/us\/politics\/dana-rohrabacher-russia-spies.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">warn<\/a> him that his unusual affinity for Putin and frequent trips to Moscow made the congressman a ripe target for Russian spies, who were actively trying to recruit him. A congressman present at the meeting told the <em>New York Times<\/em>\u00a0the goal was to remind &#8220;Dana that Russia is our adversary.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The rise of Trump brought heightened scrutiny on Rohrabacher&#8217;s ties to Russia but did little to change the congressman&#8217;s behavior. Rohrabacher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motherjones.com\/politics\/2020\/08\/rohrabacher-russia-putin-2016\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">traveled<\/a> to Moscow in April 2016, where he met with &#8220;a close confidant&#8221; of Putin&#8217;s and received a file of &#8220;sensitive&#8221; materials. He arranged meetings with lawmakers and Kremlin lobbyists seeking the repeal of the Magnitsky Act, an anti-corruption law named after a Russian attorney who was murdered by Putin&#8217;s thugs.<\/p>\n<p>Rohrabacher has acknowledged meeting with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in August 2017. The congressman reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/rohrabacher-confirms-he-offered-trump-pardon-to-assange-for-proof-russia-didnt-hack-dnc-email-131438007.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told<\/a> Assange he would secure a pardon from Trump in exchange for proof that Russia was not the source of leaked Democratic National Committee emails published by WikiLeaks. Rohrabacher told <em>Yahoo News<\/em> he was seeking evidence that Seth Rich, a former DNC staffer who was murdered in 2016 in what police believe to be a botched robbery, was responsible for the leak.<\/p>\n<p>Rick Wilson, one of the Lincoln Project&#8217;s only remaining cofounders, has repeatedly attacked Rohrabacher over the course of his ongoing struggle with <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/satire\/twitter-user-rick-wilson\/\">social media addiction<\/a>. &#8220;Comrade Dana! How goes the Five Year Beet Harvest Plan?&#8221; Wilson <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheRickWilson\/status\/903083745875550208\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tweeted<\/a>, epically, in response to a photo of Rohrabacher&#8217;s appearance on Sean Hannity&#8217;s show. He has <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheRickWilson\/status\/1022579831194771456\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">insinuated<\/a> the congressman is a Russian spy.<\/p>\n<p>Setmayer did not return a request for comment on whether she has been held sufficiently &#8220;accountable&#8221; for her multiyear affiliation with America&#8217;s foremost Putin stooge.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-8 hide-print\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1526555381173-4\" class=\"mobile-250 desktop-90\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Earlier this year, the\u00a0Lincoln Project announced it was\u00a0building a database of former Trump administration employees to ensure they &#8220;will be held accountable&#8221; and &#8220;not allowed to pretend they were not &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2274636,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/LP-setmayer.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Former Flack for GOP Russia Stooge Finds Redemption as Lincoln Project Damage Control Adviser","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-187823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/LP-setmayer.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Former Flack for GOP Russia Stooge Finds Redemption as Lincoln Project Damage Control Adviser","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187823\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2274636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}