Leader of National Anti-Trump Operation Arrested for Allegedly Soliciting Boy, 15
In this commentary by Michael Austin from the Western Journal, there’s a critical focus on the alleged hypocrisy within groups opposing former President Donald Trump, especially concerning issues of sexual misconduct. Highlighted in the article is Joel Searby, a NeverTrump political consultant, who was recently arrested for alleged sexual offenses involving a 15-year-old boy. This incident is presented as part of wider criticisms against the NeverTrump faction, mentioning previous similar allegations, including those against John Weaver, co-founder of the Lincoln Project. The article underscores the contrast between the leftist criticism of Trump’s sexual misconduct allegations and their association with individuals facing similar or more severe allegations. The commentary is framed within a broader discussion on political integrity and moral standards, questioning the consistency and ethical grounding of Trump’s critics in the political arena. This piece also contains a call for support for the Western Journal, emphasizing the importance of independent journalism and its struggle against Big Tech’s alleged suppression.
By Michael Austin June 25, 2024 at 6:05am
Over and over and over again, leftists and anti-Trumpers have chastised the country for electing and supporting former President Donald Trump in spite of numerous shaky allegations of sexual misconduct.
At the very same time, those same people ally themselves with alleged child predators.
You can’t make this stuff up.
According to WCJB-TV in Gainesville, Florida, Joel Searby, a NeverTrump political consultant, was arrested Thursday on various charges related to allegedly attempting to meet up with and molest a 15-year-old boy.
Joel Searby, 43, was charged with lewd/lascivious conduct and 2 counts of obscene communication related to luring a minor to meet him for sex. Searby recently led an initiative to convert three schools in Newberry to municipal charter schools. https://t.co/SnTrZxg6gp
— Alachua Chronicle (@AlachuaChronic1) June 20, 2024
In 2016, Searby ran Evan McMullin’s independent campaign for president, a last-ditch effort backed by multiple NeverTrumpers — including, notably, the Lincoln Project’s Rick Wilson, as reported by The Washington Post.
The arrest report from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said the 43-year-old began speaking to the boy via the picture-messaging app Snapchat on Wednesday.
Authorities said Searby sent the young teen explicit photographs, described sexual encounters, asked if he had ever had a crush on an older man and eventually attempted to set up a secret meeting with the boy at Searby’s home.
Does it now look like there’s a sick, even demonic element working among some of the anti-Trumpers?
Law enforcement officials were made aware of the messages, and on Thursday morning, officials took over the 15-year-old’s end of the conversation.
Authorities then executed a search warrant on Searby’s home, arrested him and charged him with lewd and lascivious behavior, communication to lure a minor, communication to travel to meet a minor and using a communication device to commit a felony, WCJB reported.
Oddly enough, Searby isn’t the only member of the NeverTrump crowd to face these kinds of heinous allegations.
Wilson’s Lincoln Project also had to deal with some of its own after the group’s co-founder, John Weaver, was accused of sexually inappropriate behavior toward young men and teens.
Joel Searby was the chief strategist for Evan McMullin’s 2016 presidential campaign.
He was just arrested in Florida for allegedly soliciting sex from a teen boy.
This is the second major figure from the Lincoln Project circle to be accused of soliciting sex from underage men. pic.twitter.com/QAgYoe98cJ
— America 2100 (@America_2100) June 22, 2024
In 2021, 21 young men accused Weaver of sending them unsolicited sexual messages, sometimes in exchange for career advancement opportunities. One said he was just 14 when the Lincoln Project co-founder approached him.
Weaver eventually apologized for his actions.
“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, according to Axios.
John Weaver, a GOP strategist and Lincoln Project co-founder, has for years sent unsolicited and sexually provocative messages to young men, often while suggesting he could help them work in politics, according to interviews with 21 men who received them.https://t.co/pUe961l7qX
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 31, 2021
Many Republican NeverTrumpers have found themselves the darlings of left-wing media.
They are praised and celebrated for standing by their “convictions.”
Yes, the left condemns Trump for various questionable sexual misconduct allegations and his 2005 comment that women “let you” grab them — all while aligning itself with alleged pedophiles.
Again, you can’t make this stuff up.
A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:
I heard a chilling comment the other day: “We don’t even know if an election will be held in 2024.”
That wasn’t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.
Gen. Flynn’s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.
The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
All of this means that without you, it’s over. We have the platform, the journalists, and the experience to fight back hard, but Big Tech is strangling us through advertising blacklists, shadow bans, and algorithms. Did you know that we’ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can’t continue the fight.
Can we count on your support? It may not seem like much, but a Western Journal Membership can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control.
A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content — news, commentary, and premium articles. You’ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America’s soul in 2024.
We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you join us in the fight?
Sincerely,
Josh Manning
Deputy Managing Editor
The Western Journal
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