Editor's Note: Steve Schmidt is one of the founding members of the Lincoln Project. He is a communications and public affairs strategist who has worked on several Republican campaigns, including John McCain's 2008 bid for the White House, and he is now a regular political contributor to MSNBC. On Friday, Schmidt reacted to the announcement that Microsoft's PAC will suspend donations to any lawmaker who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election on his Twitter feed. MaxNewsToday has assembled this 8-tweet thread and reprinted it as one easy-to-read op-ed for our ongoing segment, Schmidt Storm. It has been edited for grammar and clarity. This is a great example of not just corporate leadership but of civic leadership. This is precisely how a great American company should act in the face of threats to democracy. It is morally unambiguous and commits Microsoft to the strengthening of American democracy as a leader in that fight. It is good news that they will use their power to rally other good corporate citizens to the defense of democracy. The vote on the evening of Jan. 6, 2021 was amongst the most historic that has ever taken place in the U.S. Congress. The American flag was ripped down and desecrated. The MAGA flag was raised in triumph. The mob that was incited by Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Kevin McCarthy killed five people, which included the murder of a policeman. Two Capitol officers have committed suicide since the attack. The violent insurrectionists defecated and urinated on the marble floors under the Capitol Dome as the Confederate flag was carried through the Rotunda. After the insurrection was ended, Kevin McCarthy led 140 members on the floor of the House in voting to overturn the election result by throwing away millions of Black votes. Had McCarthy succeeded in maintaining Trump's power against the will of the people, the American Republic would have fallen. Kevin McCarthy created a new Jim Crow on the night of the 6th when they asserted they had the power to decide which Black votes from certified state elections count. All over the country, there are GOP legislatures that are seeking to pass 21st-century Jim Crow voting restrictions. This is happening right now and it must be opposed. The Lincoln Project will be in that fight. The fight to save American democracy is a moral and just fight. It is a necessary fight. We are facing a lawless, dishonest, extremist movement in this country. It is an autocratic movement with fascistic markers. It is dangerous and un-American. Today, Microsoft made clear that they stand with America. Every company will have to decide. Microsoft had made the right choice.