Lincoln Project spent $300,000 against Youngkin and favoring McAuliffe
The Lincoln Project admitted to staging an event Friday meant to portray Youngkin as racist
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Lincoln Project, a disgraced anti-Trump political action committee, funneled nearly $300,000 negatively portraying Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin and propping up his Democratic opponent Terry McAuliffe.
Records provided by the Virginia Public Access Project show $17,100 being spent on pro-McAuliffe efforts and just over $280,000 on anti-Youngkin efforts.
According to the Virginia Public Access Project, anti-Youngkin spending included TV ad buys, digital ads, and "media production."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A small group of demonstrators dressed as "Unite the Right" rally-goers with tiki torches stand on a sidewalk as Republican candidate for governor of Virginia Glenn Youngkin arrives on his bus for a campaign event at a Mexican restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. October 29, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
LINCOLN PROJECT ADMITS TO PLANTING FAKE 'UNITE THE RIGHT' MEMBERS AT YOUNGKIN RALLY
The Lincoln Project, formed as a counter to former President Donald Trump in 2019 by disillusioned former Republicans, and mired in a sexual harassment scandal earlier this year, made headlines on Friday when the group admitted to staging a photo-op at a Youngkin rally that portrayed white supremacists as supporting the GOP hopeful.
"Today’s demonstration was our way of reminding Virginians what happened in Charlottesville four years ago, the Republican Party’s embrace of those values, and Glenn Youngkin’s failure to condemn it," the Lincoln Project said in a press release.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DANVILLE, VIRGINIA - OCTOBER 26: Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin gives remarks at a campaign rally at the Danville Community Market on October 26, 2021 in Danville, Virginia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
"The Lincoln Project has run advertisements highlighting the hate unleashed in Charlottesville as well as Glenn Youngkin’s continued failure to denounce Donald Trump’s ‘very fine people on both sides,'" the group said. "We will continue to draw this contrast in broadcast videos, on our social media platforms, and at Youngkin rallies."
The staged protest was reported by several news outlets as being a legitimate instance of white supremacists supporting Youngkin.
THE LINCOLN PROJECT ROASTED AS 'DERANGED HACKS' FOR ORCHESTRATING VIRAL HOAX TO SMEAR YOUNGKIN
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The McAuliffe campaign has denounced the Lincoln Project’s action, but questions remain about what level of coordination, if any, took place between the campaign, the Virginia Democratic Party, and the Lincoln Project.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin speaks during a rally in Glen Allen, Va., Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021. Youngkin will face Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the November election. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
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The group has placed ads in Virginia attempting to label Youngkin as racist.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Lincoln Project did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News.