Lincoln Project cofounder acknowledges sending ‘inappropriate’ sexual messages
John Weaver, a co-founder of the anti-Trump Republican political action committee The Lincoln Project, said Friday that he sent “inappropriate” sexually charged messages to multiple men and issued an apology for his behavior.
“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 in a statement to Axios. “They were inappropriate and it was because of my failings that this discomfort was brought on you.”
New: Lincoln Project cofounder John Weaver acknowledges sending sexually charged messages to multiple men in a statement to Axios.
“I am truly sorry. They were inappropriate and it was because of my failings that this discomfort was brought on you.”https://t.co/c3qkQJAY1I
— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) January 15, 2021
“The truth is that I’m gay,” Weaver added in his statement to the outlet. “And that I have a wife and two kids who I love. My inability to reconcile those two truths has led to this agonizing place.”
The statement from Weaver, a longtime GOP operative, came after a number of allegations surfaced this week of men accusing the strategist of sending inappropriate messages.
Multiple men claimed that he had sent them sexually suggestive messages unsolicited, with the messages occasionally including offers of employment or political gain, Axios reported.
The number of gay men I know who have a “John Weaver DM’d me and made me uncomfortable” story is astounding. An overwhelming number of men have been made to feel this way. https://t.co/4jIHB0gGbj
— Yashar Ali (@yashar) January 16, 2021
Weaver took a leave of absence from The Lincoln Project last summer and told Axios he won’t be returning to the PAC.
“The project’s defense of the Republic and fight for democracy is vital,” he added.
Mediaite reports that the group has taken down its leadership page, which had listed Weaver.
The Lincoln Project did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
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