'Complete surprise.' Chief strategist for Kasich's 2016 presidential bid accused of online sexual

'Complete surprise.' Chief strategist for Kasich's 2016 presidential bid accused of online sexual harassment


COLUMBUS – Twenty-one men have accused Republican strategist John Weaver – a key adviser in ex-Ohio Gov. John Kasich's presidential bid – of sending sexually provocative messages, according to a New York Times report.

Some of the unsolicited messages, including those sent to a 14-year-old boy, occurred while Weaver worked for Kasich. Weaver joined Kasich's presidential campaign as a senior strategist in early June 2015 and remained on the payroll of Kasich's political action committee through May 2019.

"These allegations caught us by complete surprise as we had not seen any evidence of this behavior while he was working with us," Kasich spokesman Jim Lynch said. "While he has not been with our organization for quite some time, we are extremely disappointed by what we have learned."

Weaver first reached out to Trickle Miele, then 14, on Twitter in 2015. At the time, Miele supported the Republican Party and was a fan of Kasich. Although initially "semi-starstruck" by Weaver, Miele told the New York Times that he became increasingly uncomfortable with the messages.

Read more: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/31/john-weaver-chief-strategist-kasichs-2016-presidential-bid-accused-online-harassment/4331370001/