Lincoln Project Puts Out Statement on ‘Deplorable and Predatory’ Behavior of Co-Founder John Weaver Following Report He Harassed 21 Men
John Weaver
The Lincoln Project has condemned Republican strategist and group co-founder John Weaver for his “deplorable and predatory behavior” toward multiple younger men over the years.
The political organization has been distancing itself from Weaver for weeks amid serious allegations of impropriety. On Sunday, the Lincoln Project put out a statement denouncing Weaver as “a predator, a liar, and an abuser” who “deceived” the organization.
“We are disgusted and outraged that someone in a position of power and trust would use it for these means,” the statement says. “The totality of his deceptions are beyond anything any of us could have imagined and we are absolutely shocked and sickened by it.”
The Lincoln Project today released the following statement. pic.twitter.com/k9QkUsiFO5
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) January 31, 2021
The statement came shortly after The New York Times released an article with more reporting on Weaver’s conduct, including comments from men he allegedly tried to solicit sexual favors from in exchange for professional advancement. Cole Trickle Miele told the Times that he was 14 years old when Weaver first reached out to him, and that he was unsettled by Weaver’s increasingly-suggestive messages after he turned 18.
From the report:
In June 2018, Mr. Weaver asked, “Are you in HS still?” — referring to high school — and Mr. Trickle Miele said that he was, and that he would be 18 the next spring. “You look older,” Mr. Weaver replied. “You’ve gotten taller.”
In March 2020, when Mr. Trickle Miele was 18, Mr. Weaver wrote, “I want to come to Vegas and take you to dinner and drinks and spoil you!!,” and in a follow-up message used a term that in sexual banter refers to one’s body: “Hey my boy! resend me your stats! or I can guess! if that is easier or more fun!”
The Times offered further anecdotes from people who said Weaver would ask questions about their bodies, amid other suggestive messages they received.
Weaver previously admitted to sending inappropriate messages in a statement to Axios. “To the men I made uncomfortable through my messages that I viewed as consensual mutual conversations at the time: I am truly sorry,” Weaver said. “They were inappropriate and it was because of my failings that this discomfort was brought on you.”
