{"id":2283108,"date":"2024-06-25T10:18:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T14:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leader-of-national-anti-trump-operation-arrested-for-allegedly-soliciting-boy-15\/"},"modified":"2024-06-25T10:23:20","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T14:23:20","slug":"leader-of-national-anti-trump-operation-arrested-for-allegedly-soliciting-boy-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leader-of-national-anti-trump-operation-arrested-for-allegedly-soliciting-boy-15\/","title":{"rendered":"Leader of National Anti-Trump Operation Arrested for Allegedly Soliciting Boy, 15"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fleader-of-national-anti-trump-operation-arrested-for-allegedly-soliciting-boy-15%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2283108&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In this commentary by Michael Austin from the Western Journal, there&#8217;s a critical focus on the alleged\u200d hypocrisy within groups opposing former President Donald\u2064 Trump, \u2064especially concerning issues \u200bof <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/proposed-bill-would-give-n-y-gov-power-to-detain-citizens-deemed-a-public-health-hazard\/\" title=\"Proposed bill would give N.Y. Gov. power to detain citizens deemed a \u2018public health hazard\u2019\">sexual misconduct<\/a>. \u200dHighlighted in the \u200carticle\u2063 is Joel\u200c Searby, a NeverTrump political consultant, who was recently arrested for alleged sexual \u2064offenses \u200cinvolving a 15-year-old \u200cboy. This incident is presented as \u2063part of wider criticisms against\u200b the NeverTrump faction, mentioning previous \u2064similar allegations, including\u200b those against John Weaver, co-founder\u200b of the Lincoln Project. The article underscores\u200c the contrast between\u200d the leftist criticism\u200b of Trump&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/deplorable-and-predatory-behavior-the-lincoln-project-condemns-cofounder-after-nyt-reports-he-allegedly-sexually-harassed-14-year-old-boy\/\" title=\"\u2018Deplorable And Predatory Behavior\u2019: The Lincoln Project Condemns Cofounder After NYT Reports He Allegedly Sexually Harassed 14-Year-Old Boy\">sexual misconduct allegations<\/a> and their association with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nevada-woman-charged-with-murder-after-allegedly-decapitating-father-of-her-children\/\" title=\"Nevada woman accused of decapitating father of her children, faces murder charges.\">individuals facing similar<\/a> \u2064or more \u200dsevere allegations. The commentary is \u200cframed within a broader discussion on political integrity and moral\u200c standards,\u2062 questioning the consistency and ethical grounding of Trump\u2019s critics in the \u200dpolitical\u2062 arena. This piece also \u200bcontains \u200da call \u200cfor support for the Western\u200b Journal, emphasizing the importance of independent journalism and its struggle against Big Tech&#8217;s alleged suppression.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/commentary\/\">  Commentary <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/maustin\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/maustin\/%20\"><span>Michael Austin<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   June 25, 2024 at 6:05am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>At the very same time, those same people ally themselves with alleged child predators.<\/p>\n<p>You can\u2019t make this stuff up.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcjb.com\/2024\/06\/20\/report-newberry-education-first-board-member-solicits-sex-teen-boy-snapchat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WCJB-TV<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">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. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/SnTrZxg6gp\">https:\/\/t.co\/SnTrZxg6gp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alachua Chronicle (@AlachuaChronic1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlachuaChronic1\/status\/1803896995444330634?\">June 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In 2016, Searby <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/ar\/contributor\/joel-searby\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ran Evan McMullin\u2019s<\/a> independent campaign for president, a last-ditch effort backed by multiple NeverTrumpers \u2014 including, notably, the Lincoln Project\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-hater-rick-wilson-ended-mercilessly-mocked-agreed-wrong-interview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rick Wilson<\/a>, as reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/josh-rogin\/wp\/2016\/08\/22\/the-story-behind-evan-mcmullins-run-for-president\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The arrest report from the Alachua County Sheriff\u2019s Office in Florida said the 43-year-old began speaking to the boy via the picture-messaging app Snapchat on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s home.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Does it now look like there\u2019s a sick, even demonic element working among some of the anti-Trumpers?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Law enforcement officials were made aware of the messages, and on Thursday morning, officials took over the 15-year-old\u2019s end of the conversation.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities then executed a search warrant on Searby\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>Oddly enough, Searby isn\u2019t the only member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/op-ed-never-trumpers-cover-shame\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NeverTrump<\/a> crowd to face these kinds of heinous allegations.<\/p>\n<p>Wilson\u2019s Lincoln Project also had to deal with some of its own after the group\u2019s co-founder, John Weaver, was accused of sexually inappropriate behavior toward young men and teens.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Joel Searby was the chief strategist for Evan McMullin\u2019s 2016 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<p>He was just arrested in Florida for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/prominent-trans-activist-arrested-for-allegedly-soliciting-sex-from-minor\/\" title=\"Prominent Trans Activist Arrested for Allegedly Soliciting Sex From Minor\">allegedly soliciting sex<\/a> from a teen boy.<\/p>\n<p>This is the second major figure from the Lincoln Project circle to be accused of soliciting sex from underage men. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QAgYoe98cJ\">pic.twitter.com\/QAgYoe98cJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 America 2100 (@America_2100) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/America_2100\/status\/1804546358231138464?\">June 22, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In 2021, 21 young men <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/21-young-men-accuse-anti-trump-lincoln-project-co-founder-sending-provocative-unsolicited-messages\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">accused Weaver<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<p>Weaver eventually apologized for his actions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo 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,\u201d he said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2021\/01\/15\/john-weaver-lincoln-project-co-founder-acknowledges-inappropriate-messages\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Axios<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">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.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pUe961l7qX\">https:\/\/t.co\/pUe961l7qX<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The New York Times (@nytimes) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nytimes\/status\/1355908726834790409?\">January 31, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Many Republican <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/opinion-im-no-longer-a-never-trump-conservative-heres-why\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NeverTrumpers<\/a> have found themselves the darlings of left-wing media.<\/p>\n<p>They are praised and celebrated for standing by their \u201cconvictions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yes, the left condemns Trump for various questionable sexual misconduct allegations and his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/10\/08\/us\/donald-trump-tape-transcript.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2005 comment<\/a> that women \u201clet you\u201d grab them \u2014 all while aligning itself with alleged pedophiles.<\/p>\n<p>Again, you can\u2019t make this stuff up.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>I heard a chilling comment the other day: \u201cWe don\u2019t even know if an election will be held in 2024.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>That wasn\u2019t 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.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Gen. Flynn\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, \u201cWe must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>All of this means that <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>without you<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>, it\u2019s 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\u2019ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can\u2019t continue the fight.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Can we count on <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>your support<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>? It may not seem like much, but a <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Western Journal Membership<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  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. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>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 \u2014 news, commentary, and premium articles. You\u2019ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America\u2019s soul in 2024.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  in the fight? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Sincerely,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Josh Manning<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Deputy Managing Editor<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Western Journal<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"author-info-45247\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/maustin\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Manager of Writing and Reporting<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-45247\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-45247\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-45247\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-45247\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Michael wrote for a number of entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020 as a staff reporter. He now manages the writing and reporting teams, overseeing the production of commentary, news and original reporting content.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  Birthplace <\/p>\n<p>  Ames, Iowa <\/p>\n<p>  Nationality <\/p>\n<p>  American <\/p>\n<p>  Education <\/p>\n<p>  Iowa State University <\/p>\n<p>  Topics of Expertise <\/p>\n<p>  Culture, Faith, Politics, Education, Entertainment <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Commentary by Michael Austin, June 25, 2024. Leftists and anti-Trump critics repeatedly condemn the support for former President Donald Trump despite various allegations of sexual misconduct. Simultaneously, these critics often align with alleged child predators, showcasing a clear contradiction in their stance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2093,"featured_media":2283109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Joel-Searby.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[6430,4376,4107,11138,16016],"class_list":["post-2283108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-anti-trump","tag-arrested","tag-national","tag-soliciting","tag-teenagers"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Joel-Searby.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2283108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2093"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2283108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2283108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2283109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2283108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2283108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2283108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}