Huh. This doesn't look good.
BREAKING: Joel Searby, Chief Strategist for Evan McMullin 2016 Presidential campaign, arrested in Florida for allegedly soliciting sex with a teen boy. Searby is managing director of the @Fwd_Party and often speaks on faith based initiatives in politics here in Utah. #utpol…
— Heidi Hatch KUTV (@tvheidihatch) June 21, 2024
Yikes.
43 year old Joel Searby allegedly messaged the 15 year old boy on snapchat. "He suggested the victim should sneak out and go to Searby’s guest house. He would send the boy a text asking him to go over to help with yard work as an excuse for his parents." https://t.co/rD7SzcsDlu pic.twitter.com/i5JwO2EWUh
— Heidi Hatch KUTV (@tvheidihatch) June 21, 2024
Correction, Joel Searby has not been with the @Fwd_Party since August of 2023.
— Heidi Hatch KUTV (@tvheidihatch) June 21, 2024
Still yikes.
From WCJB:
Joel Searby, 43, was booked into the Alachua County Jail on charges of 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.
The arrest report from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office transcribes a conversation that started on Wednesday between Searby and the victim on the messaging app Snapchat. In the message chain, Searby asked the 15-year-old if he has ever had a crush on an older man and then describes a sexual encounter he had as a teen with an adult man.
Searby sent the boy multiple photos of himself with his face obscured, including a photo of his hand in his pants. He then invited the boy to visit his home the next morning, secretly.
He suggested the victim should sneak out and go to Searby’s guest house. He would send the boy a text asking him to go over to help with yard work as an excuse for his parents.
“Evidence is pretty damning, and it’s scary for me as a parent,” shared parent Brandy Oldman.
Recommended
Evidence is pretty damning ...
Yikes a third time.
If he had done this in California there would have been zero prosecution.
— 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗠𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 (@txsalth2o) June 21, 2024
Has McMuffin paid his vendors yet?
— JWF (@JammieWF) June 21, 2024
Apparently, Searby has connections to the Lincoln Project as well.
And nobody is at all surprised.
I thought that name sounded familiar, Heidi. pic.twitter.com/gUck8UrCGF
— (WBS) Pronoun Refusenik 🇺🇲 (@DidacticaStar) June 21, 2024
Meep.
What is it about the Lincoln Project that attracts these people? https://t.co/0B5qdcsFks
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) June 21, 2024
We have a few guesses.
--UPDATE--
Rick Wilson reached out to this editor on Twitter to let us know Joel Searby has never worked for The Lincoln Project. He also included a link as proof.
From Wilson:
Hate us all you like, but Joel has never worked for or with TLP. Grok is wrong. https://fec.gov/data/disbursements/?data_type=processed&recipient_name=Searby&max_date=12%2F31%2F2024
We would like to point out we didn't just listen to Grok but Mike Lee as well HOWEVER, if this is true we wanted to update the piece. Thanks! - sj
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