Twitter Group Warned Women to Steer Clear of Weiner

Early last month, a group of conservative Twitter users dubbed the #bornfreecrew was speculating that Anthony Weiner would soon be embroiled in a sex scandal. Two months before that, the group was warning young female Twitter users to stay away from Weiner. In a fascinating story, the New York Times reports on the activities of the group, led by a man who calls himself Dan Wolfe (@PatriotUSA76), who happened to be the one who first noticed the photo Weiner sent to Gennette Cordova—who, it turns out, the group had already urged to steer clear of him.

Based on an analysis of public tweets, the Times reports that the #bornfreecrew tracked Weiner's account with "particular ferocity." They considered the young women he contacted "schoolgirls"; in some cases, Weiner stopped communicating with women once the crew identified them, leading the Times to speculate Weiner was aware of the group. Wolfe is a mysterious character: He won't reveal his real name, and disappeared from Twitter on Friday. A sample tweet from Wolfe, on April 14: "Weiner’s new follow is a high school girl. LMAO! Freak!" (In related Weiner news, Jon Stewart literally bleeds for the man.)