Did the directors of the Lincoln Project really think it would work? A vocal anti-Trump group that has morphed into what appears to be a run-of-the-mill anti-Republican task force has hit a public relations iceberg. Their co-founder, John Weaver, was allegedly a total creep.
American conservative had it firstbut it appears that Mr. Weaver did indeed have a secret life, which led to highly inappropriate conversations with over a dozen men. Beth wrote about the latest solution that was published in The New York Times:
Cole Trickle Miele was 14 years senior when he followed Mr. Weaver on Twitter in 2015 and quickly received a direct message from him. At first he didn’t think anything was wrong.
“I remember being interested in politics as a 14-year-old kid and being very impressed when John Weaver talked to me,” said Trickle Miele, now 19. At the time, he supported the Republican Party and was a fan of Mr. Kasich, the Ohio governor whom Mr. Weaver helped prepare for the presidential race.
But as more news came in, he felt uncomfortable.
In June 2018, Mr. Weaver asked, “Are you still in HS?” — referring to high school — and Mr. Trickle Miele said yes, and that he would be 18 next spring. “You look older,” Mr. Weaver replied. “You have become taller.”
In March 2020, when Mr. Trickle Miele was 18, Mr. Weaver wrote: “I want to come to Vegas, take you out to dinner, drink and spoil you!!,” and in a subsequent message he used a term that refers to sexual banter to his own body: “Hey, my boy! send me your stats again! or I’ll guess! if it’s easier and nicer this way!”
In response to questions about the specific allegations, Mr. Weaver repeated his statement from earlier this month and said: “I am so disheartened and sad that I may have made anyone uncomfortable with what I believed at the time to be consensual conversations. Living a deeply hidden life, I allowed my pain to cause pain to others. For this reason, I am truly sorry to these men and everyone, and to the fact that I have let so many people down.”
21 men told me that John Weaver, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, sent them inappropriate messages, including explicit offers of professional facilitate in exchange for sex. 11 of them spoke on the record – much more than I could describe in one article. With/ @dannyhakim https://t.co/agnfQZubW5
— Maggie Astor (@MaggieAstor) January 31, 2021
It’s crazy that the Lincoln Project considered them Major League talents when one of their founders played in the minors
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) February 1, 2021
Again, Weaver was a co-founder of this group. It’s complex to generate positive coverage, raise money, or attract clients if you have a reported sexual predator on your staff. Therefore, Weaver’s page on the Lincoln Project website has been given the Joseph Stalin treatment in the sense that he has been completely cleansed. Weaver also said he would not return to the Lincoln Project. Yes, that’s obvious, sir. You won’t be able to live anywhere if you are allegedly offering work opportunities in exchange for sex.
It’s a miracle that none of these guys claim to know THEIR CO-FOUNDER very well.
Just some guy he talked to once or twice on the phone. https://t.co/Z7f4MKTTxW
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) February 1, 2021
Conway claimed months ago that he had left @ProjektLincoln. Why @poranmika ask him for a comment? That she and @JoeNBC they can sweep this under the rug and keep the terrible crew their show helped create on the air. In other words, typical 30 Rock behavior. https://t.co/RaaanT4nmo
— Luke Thompson (@ltthompso) February 1, 2021
Long-awaited mashup: “We had no idea John Weaver was a total bastard” starring @ProjektLincoln and long-time favorites @kasie @jheil @NicolleDWallace @ananavarro @maddow. https://t.co/1xv113gXhV pic.twitter.com/eVEF8stCJa
— Watchdog (@demswatchdog) January 31, 2021
So what has happened since this fiasco engulfed the group? Well, the “I don’t know anything” claims have come to featherlight. No, seriously, George Conway basically claims he didn’t know this guy; he only talked to him a few times on the phone or something. Honestly, it’s just unbelievable. Oh, and this statement that was also ridiculed and placed under “Who are you kidding?” The last sentence in particular was… just read it [emphasis mine]: :
John Weaver lived a secret life built on deceit on every level. He is a predator, a liar and a perpetrator of violence. We extend our deepest sympathies to those targeted by his deplorable and predatory behavior,” the statement said. “We are disgusted and outraged that someone in a position of power and trust would use this for such purposes.”
“The totality of his deception is beyond anything anyone could have imagined, and we are completely shocked and disgusted by it,” the statement continued. “Like many others, we were betrayed and deceived by John Weaver. We are extremely grateful that at no time was John Weaver in the physical presence of any member of the Lincoln Project“
I’m not sure why anyone would believe a word of this https://t.co/Qcob34itj6
— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) January 31, 2021
The underlined sentence is actually true. The Lincoln Project is a middle school version of Mean Girls. https://t.co/42tpmU1Rbx
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) January 31, 2021
Lol what pic.twitter.com/A2ffq7yq5U
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) January 31, 2021
When young men approached them, they ignored it.
When they heard I was working on this story, they warned Weaver.
When I wrote the story, they didn’t say anything.
When Axios published the article, they said he was just gay
Now he is a predator.@ProjektLincoln he lied. They knew. They are complicit https://t.co/tDmJWVgweV
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) January 31, 2021
What a mess, but it probably won’t get as much attention as it deserves because of this group’s support against Trump and the GOP. Need I say more about the media’s reaction if a conservative group was caught with a sexual predator at the executive level?
Two separate rules.
