London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 16, 2026

Anti-Trump Lincoln Project turns on ‘predator’ co-founder after he’s accused of harassing 21 men, offering jobs for sex

Anti-Trump Lincoln Project turns on ‘predator’ co-founder after he’s accused of harassing 21 men, offering jobs for sex

Longtime GOP operative and co-founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project John Weaver has been accused of sending unsolicited, sexually charged messages to over 20 men, including one who was only 14 when he first made contact.

Weaver had previously acknowledged sending inappropriate messages to men after multiple accusers came forward in recent weeks. The Republican, who has worked with John McCain, John Kasich, and numerous other conservatives, admitted to sending some of the messages and came out as gay in a statement, despite having a wife and two children.

“The truth is that I'm gay,” he said. “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 apologized for making the men “uncomfortable through messages.”

In a report published on Sunday in the New York Times, Weaver’s alleged misdeeds were detailed more thoroughly, as 21 men came forward to accuse him of sending unsolicited messages. One accuser was only 14 when Weaver made contact, and still in high school when he began “asking questions about his body.” The messages became more sexual in nature once he turned 18.

Weaver is not accused of anything illegal, but rather preying upon young men in the field of politics, offering professional and personal favors in exchange for sex. Only one of the message exchanges led to a consensual encounter.

In one of the message threads between Weaver and another man, he offered to help with “advice, counsel” and even paying bills, as long as he is taken care of “sensually.” He even allegedly offered work with the Lincoln Project in exchange for sexual favors.

Weaver is one of multiple Republicans behind the Lincoln Project, a political advocacy group that has mainly used millions in donations to attack Donald Trump and conservatives supportive of him.

Steve Schmidt, another co-founder of the group, said he was made aware of Weaver’s relationships with men but was not aware of any misconduct. Weaver has been on leave from the company and will not return.

In a statement responding to the explosive New York Times report, the Lincoln Project distanced itself from Weaver in a biting statement which referred to its co-founder as a “predator,” “liar,” and “abuser.”

They also claim he was never “in the physical presence of any member” of the group, an odd line that has only added to the mockery on social media.

“Like so many, we feel 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,” the statement reads.



“The Lincoln Project should probably change their name to the Pedophile Project to better reflect their true ‘values,’” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted in reaction to the news.


Political commentator Ryan Girdusky, who helped give accusations against Weaver more attention earlier this month by directly accusing him on Twitter of offering “jobs to young men for sex,” called the Lincoln Project’s statement a “lie” and said members of the group were aware of Weaver’s actions.

“This statement by the @ProjectLincoln is an absolute lie. Members did know. Young men approached them about the accusations. Members knew I was writing the story and warned John Weaver,” he claimed.





Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Reform UK Unveils Plan to Cut Welfare Spending by More Than £50 Billion a Year
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Praised Extinction Rebellion for Doing a 'Great Service'
UK Wildfire Phone Alert Triggers Backlash as Users Switch Off Emergency Warnings
Heathrow Roads Reopen After Burst Water Main Floods Access to Terminals 2 and 3
Former NBA Players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White Say They Will Enter 2027 WNBA Draft
Italian Speed Camera Issues Nearly 32,000 Fines in 10 Weeks, Worth More Than €3 Million
Former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Found Dead Days After Resigning Amid Plagiarism Row
US Appeals Court Rules AI Agent's Website Actions Are Legally Attributed to the User
France's Constitutional Council Blocks Social Media Ban for Children Under 15
Liechtenstein Changes Royal Succession Rules to Allow Women to Inherit the Throne
Women Allege Rape and Sexual Abuse at British Army College for Teenage Recruits
Minnesota: Two independent investigators posed as Muslims (one wearing a burqa) and showed how they could vote in elections without identification.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Takes Regional Tour to Highlight Local Infrastructure and Environmental Problems
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
Bank of England Warns Rising Inflation Could Squeeze UK Household Incomes
UK Government Announces £65 Million Aid Package for Farmers Hit by Severe Drought
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Energy Market Pressures
UK Issues Emergency Alert as Severe Wildfires Spread Across England and Wales
UK and Finland Discuss European Defence and Continued Support for Ukraine
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
UK Government Deploys Military to Help Fight Wildfires and Bans Disposable Barbecues
UK Records Hottest Day of the Year as Fifth Summer Heatwave Peaks in Southern England
UK Condemns Houthi Actions and Warns of Red Sea Threat to Global Trade
UK and Solomon Islands Open Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Honiara
UK Small Businesses Face Continued Cash Flow and Tax Pressures
Greatham Marsh Restoration Restores Tidal Wetland in Hartlepool After More Than 200 Years
UK Health Regulator Urges University Students to Check Meningitis and Measles Vaccination Status
Mining Remediation Authority Completes Major Ground Stabilization Works in Scottish Community
UK Food Crime Investigators Seize 33 Tonnes of Illegal Food in Multi-Agency Operation
Technical Qualification Uptake Hits Record High as Advanced Mathematics Results Improve
UK Summer Temperatures on Course to Challenge Long-Standing Records, Met Office Says
UK Farmers Bring Forward Cereal Harvests as Drought Threatens Yields
Wildfires Surge Across England and Wales as Fire Chiefs Report Record July
UK Nurses Warn of Heat Risks as Hospital Staff Struggle With Extreme Temperatures
Southern Water Seeks Drought Order for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Amid Water Shortages
UK Heatwave Pushes West London Temperature to 38.1 Degrees as Health Alerts Continue
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Global Uncertainty
China’s Kimi Launches AI-Focused Credit Card With Agricultural Bank of China and American Express
UK Residents Gather to Watch Rare Partial Solar Eclipse
Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice Faces Criticism Over Legal Threat Against Guardian Journalist
Michael Forsyth Elected Speaker of the House of Lords
Cambridge Researchers Launch £20 Million Human Organoid Drug Testing Programme
Heathrow Loses European Passenger Traffic Lead to Istanbul Airport
Households Near New UK Electricity Pylons to Receive £250 Annual Energy Bill Discount
UK Government Estimates Zero-Hours Contract Ban Could Cost Employers Up to £3 Billion a Year
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
UK Police Chiefs Urge Government to Block Early Release of Andrew Harper Killers
UK Government Holds Emergency Cobra Meeting as Drought and Heatwave Raise Wildfire Risks
Former Labour Adviser Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China Held Privileged Access as Top Party Donor
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
×