Conservative Activist and Trump Loyalist Accused of 'Groping' Herschel Walker's Male Staffer
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A former staffer for Herschel Walker's failed Senate campaign says he was groped by Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union who is a longtime Republican activist and an ally of former President Donald Trump.
On Thursday, The Daily Beast reported that the staffer — who asked to remain anonymous, only sharing that he is a male in his late 30s — was the victim of "sustained and unwanted and unsolicited" sexual contact by Schlapp in October.
It allegedly began with Schlapp "inappropriately" intruding the staffer's personal space at two different bars. The men were reportedly out in Atlanta getting drinks to discuss the staffer's political future.
"It was a public space, and I was thinking that he got the hint. I did not want to embarrass him," the staffer told the Beast. "But it escalated."
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When the staffer was driving Schlapp back to a hotel, he said Schlapp placed a hand on his leg, then "fondled" his crotch. The staffer told the Beast he was frozen in shock, adding that the event was "scarring" and "humiliating."
The staffer claimed he then denied an invitation to Schlapp's room at the hotel and left "as quickly as I could."
Once he arrived home, the staffer says he received a phone call from Schlapp, inquiring as to whether or not he would still be chauffeuring the Republican activist to an event the next day.
The staffer provided both his phone records and a series of short videos he made directly after the alleged incident to The Daily Beast. In one video, which the Beast reports was also shared with the staffer's wife, the staffer says, "Matt Schlapp of the CPAC grabbed my junk and pummeled it at length, and I'm sitting there thinking what the hell is going on, that this person is literally doing this to me."
The unnamed man also provided the Beast with copies of his text message exchanges with Schlapp the day after the alleged events took place. In them, the staffer tells Schlapp he was "uncomfortable" with what happened and that someone else would be chauffeuring him for the remainder of his trip. Schlapp, in response, allegedly then called the staffer repeatedly before texting him to "see it in your heart to call me at the end of day."
Though the staffer — who the Beast says is currently employed in the world of Republican politics — is for now anonymous, he said he would identify himself if Schlapp denied his claims.
Schlapp has indeed denied the claims by way of an attorney who called the allegations "a personal attack," telling the Beast: "The attack is false and Mr. Schlapp denies any improper behavior. We are evaluating legal options for response."
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Schlapp is the chairman of the Conservative Political Action Conference, a hugely influential annual conservative gathering that serves as a springboard for many right-wing pundits and politicians.
Schlapp previously made headlines after exposing then-President Trump to COVID at the conservative conference in March 2020, during the early days of the pandemic.
RELATED: Donald Trump Shook Hands with CPAC Chairman Exposed to Attendee Infected with Coronavirus
Schlapp's wife, Mercedes Schlapp, served as director of strategic communications for the Trump campaign.
She has previously made headlines for her praise of a man who yelled racist slurs while confronting police brutality protestors with a chainsaw, and for her public condemnation of same-sex marriage.
