LINCOLN Project anti-Trumper John Weaver is being probed by the FBI over graphic messages to interns, claim sources.
The investigation comes days after the action group’s co-founder was accused of sending unsolicited, predatory messages to at least 21 men.
Two former LP interns – both university students – have spoken graphically about their alleged experiences, with one claiming that Weaver, 61, asked him about a solo sex act and phone sex, reports the New York Magazine.
They had been working with Weaver after he took them on as interns for the anti-Trump political action group (PAC).
It’s alleged that he sent texts containing X-rated comments, with one creepy message asking: “Are you top, bottom, versa?”
The intern alleged his messages “never stopped” and he felt obliged to “play along, just to be nice…because he has the strings”.
Weaver allegedly wrote to another intern, “you are a f***ing stud!”
The FBI is now reportedly investigating allegations that the veteran Republican consultant sexually harassed minors, according to American journalist Yashar Ali.
Revealing his shocking ‘scoop’ today, Ali adds that unnamed “sources told me the agents inquired whether Weaver ever touched them inappropriately or sent or requested sexually explicit material when they were underage”.
However, he pointed that “the FBI asking potential witnesses about allegations of illegal conduct does not necessarily mean that someone is the subject or a target of a federal investigation.
“It’s also unclear what the scope of the FBI’s inquiry is; the sources who spoke to me said the questions they were asked were narrow in scope.”
Also today, the Lincoln Project revealed the launch of an external investigation in relation to the sexual harassment accusations.
The announcement came hours after news agency, the Associated Press, reported that members of the organization’s leadership were informed of at “least ten specific allegations of sexual harassment against Weaver, including two involving Lincoln Project employees”.
Its board is hiring “a best-in-class outside professional” to review Weaver’s tenure “to establish both accountability and best practices going forward for The Lincoln Project.”
The organization also encouraged anyone bound by a nondisclosure agreement to contact the Lincoln Project “for a release”.
“The Lincoln Project believes the members of our movement and the victims of John Weaver’s despicable and deceptive behavior are owed the facts, and you will have them,” the organization said yesterday.
It added: “John Weaver betrayed all of us and you deserve the facts presented independently through a transparent process.”
This statement came nearly two weeks after the PAC released a statement alleging: “John Weaver led a secret life that was built on a foundation of deception at every level.
“He is a predator, a liar, and an abuser. We extend our deepest sympathies to those who were targeted by his deplorable and predatory behavior.
“We are disgusted and outraged that someone in a position of power and trust would use it for these means.
“The totality of his deceptions are beyond anything any of us could have imagined and we are absolutely shocked and sickened by it.
“Like so many, we have been betrayed and deceived by John Weaver. We are grateful beyond words that at no time was John Weaver in the physical presence of any member of The Lincoln Project.”
Weaver declined to comment to AP about the allegations, but in a statement released late last month to Axios, he generally acknowledged misconduct and apologized.
“To the men I made uncomfortable through my messages that I viewed as consensual mutual conversations at the time: I am truly sorry,” he wrote.
“They were inappropriate and it was because of my failings that this discomfort was brought on you.”
AP warns the situation threatens the stature of not just LP, but also the broader coalition of establishment-oriented Republican groups trying to dump Trump from the party.
The Lincoln Project aims to purge the Republican party of ex-President Donald Trump.
The Lincoln Project launched in November 2019 as a super PAC that allowed its leaders to raise and spend unlimited sums of money.
Its founders represent a who’s who of prominent Republican strategists on cable television.
They include co-founder Steve Schmidt, and Reed Galen, both former advisers to John McCain; conservative attorney George Conway; former New Hampshire GOP chair Jennifer Horn; Florida-based veteran political ad maker Rick Wilson; and John Weaver, who has long advised former Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
The organization quickly attracted a massive following of Donald Trump critics in both parties.
Since its creation, the Lincoln Project has raised $90million.
