In an ironic twist of political commentary, the Lincoln Project—a group formed by anti-Trump Republicans—found itself in hot water after criticizing President Donald Trump’s administration for considering the suspension of habeas corpus in the context of mass deportations of illegal immigrants. The backlash was swift and sharp, with critics pointing out that the very president the organization is named after famously took the same action during the Civil War.
The debate reignited when Stephen Miller, Trump’s senior immigration advisor, floated the idea of suspending habeas corpus—a constitutional safeguard allowing detainees to challenge their imprisonment. Miller cited the president’s authority to suspend it “in cases of rebellion or invasion,” framing the influx of illegal immigrants as a justification.
“That’s an option we’re actively looking at,” Miller said, adding that it would depend in part on how courts handle the issue.
The Lincoln Project’s reaction was immediate and dramatic.
“Suspending habeas corpus. Let that sink in,” the group wrote on social media.
But within hours, X (formerly Twitter) users responded with a collective historical facepalm: President Abraham Lincoln did exactly that—suspending habeas corpus in 1861 to preserve the Union, especially in areas vulnerable to Confederate sympathizers. The order enabled Union forces to arrest individuals without trial in a corridor stretching from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, where loyalty was uncertain and threats of internal subversion loomed large.
The backlash ranged from bemused to blistering:
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“This may be the greatest self-own in history,” quipped Auron MacIntyre, a Blaze contributor.
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“What do you mean we can legally do this via a law passed in Congress and signed by… Abraham Lincoln?!” joked another user, complete with screenshots of Lincoln’s order.
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Others, like podcaster Andrew Isker, went full satire:
“Next up: arresting judges and congressmen, shutting down state legislatures, shutting down newspapers… Where does it end!?”
The episode underscores the perils of invoking history without a full grasp of it—particularly when the namesake of your organization established the very precedent you’re decrying.
The Lincoln Project, founded in 2019 by former GOP strategist Rick Wilson and others, once captured the attention of Trump’s critics with slick, viral ads and bold attacks. But its credibility has cratered in recent years.
Co-founder John Weaver’s sexual harassment scandal in 2021—where he admitted to inappropriate messages sent to young men—devastated the group. The Project’s initial tepid response only worsened the fallout. After intense criticism, they eventually labeled Weaver “a predator, a liar, and an abuser,” but the damage was done.
Wilson himself has drawn fire for inflammatory rhetoric, including a notorious MSNBC appearance where he urged the political donor class to “put a bullet in Donald Trump”—a statement he later walked back but never fully disavowed.
