Karl Rove Brought Up John Weaver Allegations in 2004; Dismissed as ‘Smear,’ ‘Lie’

Republican political consultant Karl Rove brought up allegations against the Lincoln Project’s John Weaver in 2004 only to have them dismissed.

Karl Rove had the John Weaver story back in 2004! (Atlantic dismissed it as a "lie")https://t.co/lP1HOMDHV8 pic.twitter.com/X62e2fZ0h6

— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) January 31, 2021

The Atlantic alluded to the “rumor”:

…after Weaver went into business for himself and lured away one of Rove’s top employees, Rove spread a rumor that Weaver had made a pass at a young man at a state Republican function. Weaver won’t reply to the smear, but those close to him told me of their outrage at the nearly two-decades-old lie.

The magazine did not name those “close” to Weaver who undermined the allegations.

But now, 21 men are alleging Weaver has sent them inappropriate messages, including one who claimed they began when he was 14 years old.

The Lincoln Project, which aired ads against President Donald Trump during his re-election and other Republican candidates, sought to distance itself from the group’s co-founder:

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.

Allegations first surfaced in mid-January that Weaver had allegedly attempted to use his position to obtain sexual favors from young men.

At that point, he claimed he was homosexual.

“The truth is that I’m gay. And that I have a wife and two kids who I love,” Weaver responded to Axios.

“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,” Weaver said.

Kyle Olson is a reporter for Breitbart News. He is also host of “The Kyle Olson Show,” syndicated on Michigan radio stations on Saturdays — download full podcast episodes. Follow him on Parler.