Former Walker Campaign Staffer Sues GOP Operative Matt Schlapp For Alleged Sexual Assault

Topline

A former staffer on Republican Herschel Walker’s failed campaign for the Georgia Senate filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Republican political operative Matt Schlapp, alleging Schlapp sexually assaulted him in October when he was visiting Georgia to campaign for Walker–an allegation Schlapp has denied.

Key Facts

The lawsuit, filed in the Virginia Circuit Court in Alexandria and obtained by NBC News, accuses Schlapp, who chairs the American Conservative Union, of “aggressively fondling” the unnamed male staffer as he was driving him back to his hotel following a night out in Atlanta on October 19, allegations first reported by The Daily Beast earlier this month.

Schlapp’s lawyer Charlie Spies denied the allegations and said it has caused “unbearable pain and stress” for the Schlapp family, he told Forbes, adding that Schlapp is considering a countersuit.

The lawsuit also names Schlapp’s wife, Mercedes Schlapp, who served as Trump’s White House director of strategic communications, as a co-defendent, alleging the couple engaged in a campaign of defamation and conspiracy to discredit the Walker staffer.

The lawsuit seeks $9.4 million in damages, a figure that seeks to “hold Schlapp, and those who lie for him, accountable,” the accuser’s lawyer Timothy Hyland told The New York Times.

The staffer immediately informed the Walker campaign of the allegation, and campaign officials followed up with him for several days but never addressed the issue further, a senior campaign official told Politico, noting that Walker was also made aware of the allegation.

Key Background

The staffer, who is in his 30s and has not identified himself, told The Daily Beast Schlapp repeatedly violated his personal space while out at two Atlanta bars together in October, before allegedly assaulting him in the car on the way back to his hotel. Upon arriving, the staffer said Schlapp asked him to come back to his room, an invitation he declined before leaving “quickly.” Describing the incident as “scarring” and “humiliating,” the staffer recorded a series of tearful cellphone videos that night chronicling the incident, which he shared with The Daily Beast. The following morning, the staffer informed the campaign what had happened and another campaign official instructed the staffer to tell Schlapp he felt uncomfortable with the encounter, which he allegedly did in a text message reviewed by The Daily Beast. Schlapp reportedly texted back: “If you could see it in your heart to call me at the end of day. I would appreciate it.”

Chief Critic

The American Conservative Union, which is set to host the Conservative Political Action Conference in March in Washington, D.C., defended Schlapp in a statement following the initial report in The Daily Beast. “We know Matt Schlapp’s heart and his character. And we believe this latest attempt at character assassination is false,” American Conservative Union First Vice Chairman Charlie Gerow and Second Vice Chairman Carolyn Meadows wrote in a statement following The Daily Beast report. “Unfortunately, the Left and its note takers in the media routinely choose to scorch the earth in their quest to cancel those with whom they disagree.”

Further Reading

Conservative Leader Schlapp Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Herschel Walker Campaign Staffer (Forbes)