This is as Explosive as Anything I have Read, “No Books. No Money. Just the Truth.”

Steve Schmidt has created his own Substack to tell his story. It is about lying, lying in politics, lying as a politician, and his lying. It is one hell of an interesting read, I only put part of this up. You can see the rest “here” or clicking on part of the title.

Steve Schmidt’s Substack, “The Warning”

Intro; “Steve Schmidt is a strategic advisor, who has counseled Heads of State, CEOs, leading athletes, major corporations, academic institutions and not-for-profit organizations on a range of highly sensitive issues.”

The Why of this Substack?: “There is a very significant, “exhausted majority” of Americans looking to move past this rotten moment in American life. They have lost trust and faith in government, business, media and not-for-profit institutions at a moment of technological, cultural and economic upheaval. Fascism did not rise in the 1930s because it was strong, but rather, because democracy was weak. The cycle is repeating itself with a new extremism rising in 2020s America. This newsletter will help readers orient to the currents that are shaping our times and the unseen forces driving politics that are rarely discussed on cable news.” 

No Books. No Money. Just the Truth,” Steve Schmidt

This is a story about lying. Public lying. It is a story about Senator John McCain’s lying, and the damage it has done to many people, including me. It is also a story about my lying because, ultimately, John McCain’s lie became mine.

Over time, that lie has become heavier as I have been abused by the family of the man I worked for as a volunteer.  The burden of carrying this lie – while being attacked for 14 consecutive years by the bully Megan McCain – has finally reached its end for me.

This lie is Senator John McCain’s lie. It is his family’s burden to carry, not mine.

Let us start at the beginning: Senator John McCain turned a blind eye to the dealings of his top adviser, Rick Davis, who was making millions of dollars with his partner, Paul Manafort. Manafort was advancing the interests of the Russian Federation in Ukraine and across Eastern Europe. They worked for the Putin puppet Victor Yanukovych and Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. They advanced Russian interests from the Maidan to Montenegro. John McCain spent his 70th birthday with Oleg Deripaska and Rick Davis on a Russian yacht at anchor in Montenegro. 

Why would Senator McCain tolerate such behavior?

The answer can be found in this New York Times article from February 21, 2008, written by Jim Rutenberg, Marilyn W. Thompson, David D. Kirkpatrick and Stephen Labaton. I had the opportunity to privately apologize to Jim Rutenberg several years ago. Before continuing, I would like to apologize to the journalists whose bylines appear on the story. Their credibility, integrity and professionalism were unfairly attacked by the McCain campaign of which I was a part of.  I got it wrong. These journalists, like many others, were also victims of this lie. Today, I would like to publicly apologize to all of the journalists: Jim Rutenberg, Marilyn W. Thompson, David D. Kirkpatrick and Stephen Labaton.  I am sorry.

Immediately following the story’s publication, John and Cindy McCain both lied to the American people at a news conference that I prepared them for on that same day.

Both denied the story to me personally, as did the lobbyist at the center of the story. They also lied to the American people.

You see, when I was 36 years old, I did not understand the difference between integrity and loyalty. Before I met John McCain, I would have answered that they were indistinguishable from one another. John McCain taught me a hard lesson about the differences between the two.

The rest of the story is on Steve’s site.

I was told one time by a business professor I would end up dying by my principles. In other words, it is sometimes best to not be so principled in your beliefs. I never allowed myself to be used. Lost some jobs, didn’t get the promotions I deserved after saving a company $millions fixing their warehouse. Brought in cost reductions for various products. Integrity while doing a job matters when you can walk out knowing you did a good job and still preserved it.

It is a good story of lessons learned.