POLITICS
Lincoln Project Founder Accused of Inappropriate Texts
More than a dozen different men expose longtime Republican strategist
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
A co-founder of the Lincoln
Project, an anti-
Trump political action
committee spearheaded
by current and former Republicans,
has come under fi re for abusing
his power and sending lewd
messages to more than a dozen of
young men.
John Weaver, 61, sent inappropriate
messages to teenagers as
young as 14 years old and sent
sexual messages to many others,
the New York Times reported. For
years, Weaver wielded his authority
over these young men and requested
they send sexual messages
in exchange for political careers,
according to the report, which tallied
allegations from 21 men.
Weaver is known for working
as a senior advisor and strategist
on the Republican presidential
Then-GOP presidential candidate John Kasich (R) talks to his chief strategist, John Weaver (L), on his
campaign bus in 2015.
campaigns for John McCain in
2000 and 2008, and John Kasich
in 2016. According to messages
shared with the Times, Weaver
made several suggestive comments
about the men’s bodies, including
REUTERS/BRIAN SNYDER
asking men to help him “sensually”
and send a “thirst trap.” Only
one of those messages resulted in
something consensual and physical,
according to the allegations.
In 2015, Cole Trickle Miele told
the Times he was just a teenager
when he received a personal message
via Twitter from Weaver.
“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, now 19, said in
an interview with the Times.
However, the messages became
increasingly inappropriate.
“Are you in HS still?” Weaver
asked the teenager in June of
2018. Trickle Miele told Weaver he
was still in High School. “You look
older,” Weaver replied. “You’ve gotten
taller.”
Meanwhile, colleagues at the
Lincoln Project told the Times they
were in the dark about Weaver’s inappropriate
and explicit behavior.
The leaders claimed they learned
about Weaver’s messages only recently
through the news media
and Twitter. When a spate of allegations
hit social media last month,
Weaver maintained that his interactions
were consensual and later
announced he would not return to
his position at the Lincoln Project.
“The truth is that I’m gay. 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,” Weaver said 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. They were
inappropriate, and it was because
of my failings that this discomfort
was brought on you.”
Weaver’s colleagues have since
blasted the now-disgraced founder.
Weaver still claims the discussions
were consensual and said the messages
are a result of living a “deeply
closeted life.”
“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,” Weaver told the
Times. “I allowed my pain to cause
pain for others. For that, I am truly
sorry to these men and everyone
and for letting so many people
down.”
➤ PRIDE OVERSIGHT, from p.17
to have control over a new route
and for the city to assist minority
and women-owned businesses in
gaining economic opportunities.
Another priority listed on the letter
asks Mayor de Blasio and the
City Council to acknowledge the
birthdays of Sylvia Rivera on July
2 and Marsha P. Johnson on August
24.
Furthermore, the leaders doubled
down on the big-money commercialization
of Pride at a time
when poor LGBTQ New Yorkers
are so often struggling to make
ends meet.
“Thousands of Queer BIPOC
across this nation still live in severe
poverty,” organizers wrote in
the letter. “We still have the crushing
boot of systemic oppression
and economic exploitation fi rmly
on our necks.”
Orgainzers added, “It’s time we
address the racist and sexist inequity
within annual Pride celebrations,
of which public dollars tax
dollars are utilized.”
Join an international, independent medical
humanitarian organization.
Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) offers challenging
and rewarding opportunities in our New York Office and in the field.
We provide medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion
from healthcare. Our teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic
and administrative staff – most of them hired locally. Our actions are guided by medical ethics
and the principles of impartiality, independence and neutrality.
To learn about opportunities in MSF USA Office locations,
or to learn about MSF Field Careers, please visit:
doctorswithoutborderscareers.org
MSF-USA is committed to the principles of equity, inclusion,
and respect of diversity. As core principles inextricably linked
to our success; equity, inclusion, and respect of diversity allow
us to carry out our social mission and serve our patients.
Learn more about our commitment
to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
doctorswithoutborderscareers.org
February 11 - February 24, 2 26 021 | GayCityNews.com
/doctorswithoutborderscareers.org
/doctorswithoutborderscareers.org
/GayCityNews.com
