Nearly two dozen men accused the anti-Trump Lincoln Project co-Founder John Weaver of sending inappropriate online messages throughout the course of his political career.
One man alleges that Weaver, now 61, sent him messages for years, starting when he was 14 years old. Weaver reportedly asked questions about his body while he was in high school and later asked more pointed questions after he turned 18. The New York Times interviewed 21 men who claim they received similar messages from Weaver.
Cole Trickle Miele said he followed Weaver on Twitter in 2015 when he was 14 years old and received a direct message from the longtime GOP operative shortly afterward.
“I remember being a 14-year-old kid interested in politics and being semi-starstruck by John Weaver engaging in a conversation with me,” Trickle Miele said. The now 19-year-old said he was a supporter of former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, to whom Weaver was a top adviser.
Weaver allegedly sent messages to Trickle Miele for years, and wrote to him when he turned 18, saying, “I want to come to Vegas and take you to dinner and drinks and spoil you!!” and sent a follow-up message asking for his body “stats.”
Kyle Allen, 23, said Weaver contacted him from 2016 to 2018, asking about his height, weight, and what he was wearing, as well as whether he was circumcised. He also reportedly asked Allen to get him a speaking gig at the University of Ottawa, where he was studying.
“I would try to veer the conversations toward politics, and he would always find a way to bring it back to sexual stuff,” Allen said.
Cody Bralts, a recent college graduate, said he replied to one of Weaver’s tweets last year when he was looking for a job in politics. He quickly received a direct message from Weaver, who reportedly suggested meeting in Chicago to talk about politics and later asked what Bralts did in his free time.
When Bralts said he ran marathons, Weaver reportedly responded, “At least I know that whatever we end up doing, you could do it multiple times in a row,” adding a winky-face emoji.
“It just seemed like he was exploiting his power. He was someone very important and high up in a field I want to go into,” Bralts said.
Weaver admitted to sending inappropriate messages earlier this month when the allegations first surfaced. He came out as gay and said he took full responsibility for his actions. He reiterated that sentiment in a statement.
“I am so disheartened and sad that I may have brought discomfort to anyone in what I thought at the time were mutually consensual discussions. In living a deeply closeted life, I allowed my pain to cause pain for others,” Weaver said. “For that I am truly sorry to these men and everyone and for letting so many people down.”
The Lincoln Project disavowed Weaver in a recent statement, saying they are “grateful” he never was in the physical presence of any other members of the organization.
“John Weaver led a secret life that was built on a foundation of deception at every level,” the statement read. “He is a predator, a liar, and an abuser. … Like so many, we have been betrayed and deceived by John Weaver.”
Before joining the Lincoln Project, which is made up of Republican strategists who identified with the Never Trump movement, Weaver was a top adviser to Ohio Gov. John Kasich and the late Sen. John McCain.
