Lincoln Project Co-Founder Steps Down After "Inappropriate" and "Sexually Charged" Texts to "Dozens of Young Men"

John Weaver, co-founder of the Lincoln Project anti-Trump super-PAC, has stepped down after reports that he sent dozens of young men “inappropriate” sexually charged messages.

At least two dozen men have claimed that Weaver, who is married, held job opportunities in the balance while “propositioning [the men] for sex”, according to the NY Post. Weaver has said that he saw the exchanges as “consensual mutual conversations”.

One man claimed to have had consensual intercourse with Weaver in a hotel – before failing to land the job in question. Other men said that Weaver would DM them on Twitter, complimenting them on their hair or asking about their genitals. Weaver had taken a leave of absence from the Lincoln Project over the summer and confirmed last week that he would not be returning.

In a statement to Axios, he said: “For far too long I’ve tried to live a life that wasn’t completely true. I was lying to myself, to my family who gave me nothing but unconditional love, and to others, causing a great deal of pain to all. The truth is that I am gay. And I have a wife and two kids whom I love. My inability to reconcile those two truths has led to this agonizing place.”

“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,” he said.

Weaver had formerly been a strategist for George H.W. Bush and John McCain. The Lincoln Project, who did not immediately comment for the Post story, has amassed more than 2 million followers on Twitter in less than 2 years.

Weaver’s full statement is below: