The anti-donald-trump” target=”_blank”>Trump< knew of co-founder John Weaver’s inappropriate behavior, which allegedly included harassing messages, as early as January 2020, according to a new report.
On Monday, The New York Times cited four sources claiming that the Weaver’s behavior came to the organization’s attention multiple times last year, but the warnings, at the time, didn’t involve a minor.
Journalist and commentator Ryan James Girdusky initially brought attention to allegations that Weaver had harrassed young boys. After his initial reporting, the Times said it interviewed 21 young men who accused Weaver of sending unsolicited and sexually provocative messages. Co-founder Steve Schmidt said the group learned last summer of social media posts on Weaver’s potential relationships with men but said he was unaware of inappropriate behavior.
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“There was no awareness or insinuations of any type of inappropriate behavior when we became aware of the chatter at the time,” Schmidt said.
One of the allegations reportedly involved a 14-year-old, of whom Weaver asked sexually suggestive questions while he was still in high school. By Monday, the Times said it had spoken with 25 individuals who allegedly received harassing messages.
The organization’s leadership also received a warning last June that Weaver’s conduct could be “potentially fatal” to its image. A company hired by the Lincoln Project issued that warning to one of the board members and reportedly described multiple instances of sexual harassment.
The Lincoln Project did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Weaver took a medical leave of absence last summer and has previously apologized for his behavior.
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“To the men I made uncomfortable through my messages that I viewed as consensual mutual conversations at the time: I am truly sorry,” he told Axios in January. “They were inappropriate and it was because of my failings that this discomfort was brought on you.”