Journalist Ryan Girdusky told Hill.TV on Wednesday that the accusations against Lincoln Project co-founder John Weaver were well known to many in Washington, D.C., before major media outlets reported on them.
The New York Times reported this week that nearly two-dozen men received suggestive messages from Weaver, who allegedly offered political or employment opportunities in exchange for sexual favors. One of the victims was reportedly 14 years old when he began receiving such messages from Weaver.
Girdusky, who reported last month on the accusations against Weaver for The American Conservative, told Hill.TV’s “Rising” that the accusations were “not a well-kept secret” in the nation’s capital.
While the Times reported that 21 men came forward against Weaver, Girdusky said he spoke to more than 30 for his story in January.
“It was probably close to 100 young men in a five-year period,” Girdusky said. “This is not a small group, this is not like he was trying to hide what was going on, and it was very much in plain sight for everyone to see.”
He noted that The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump Republican group, was silent on the accusations for weeks before eventually condemning Weaver and his actions.
“I know for a fact, for three weeks after my story came out, they said nothing about him being a predator,” he said. “They didn’t say anything for three weeks.”
Weaver first acknowledged the messages in January.
“The truth is that I’m gay,” Weaver said at the time. “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.”
Watch part of Girdusky’s interview above.
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