John Weaver, a former aide to Sen. John McCain who helped found the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, admitted to sending sexually suggestive messages to multiple men after he was accused by several people of such behavior.
Weaver, who acknowledged the messages to Axios, came out that he is gay, but he added that he loves his wife and two children.
“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 said. “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’s confession comes after he was accused by several men who alleged on social media that the veteran GOP operative had sent them unsolicited and sexually suggestive messages, which occasionally came with job offers or opportunities to advance politically.
Before joining the Lincoln Project, which is made up of Republican strategists who identified with the Never Trump movement, Weaver was a top adviser to Ohio Gov. John Kasich in addition to the late McCain.
According to the report, Weaver took a medical leave of absence from the Lincoln Project over the summer, and he told Axios he will not make a return.
“While I am taking full responsibility for the inappropriate messages and conversations, I want to state clearly that the other smears being leveled at me … are categorically false and outrageous,” Weaver said.
A Lincoln Project spokesman reiterated Weaver’s comments, saying, “John’s statement speaks for itself.”
