Conservative Activist Schlapp Accused of Sexual Assault

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • Matt Schlapp, the influential head of the American Conservative Union (ACU), has been accused by a GOP strategist who worked on the Herschel Walker Senate campaign of groping him while he drove Schlapp to a hotel in Atlanta weeks before the November election.
  • The anonymous male staffer first made the allegations last week when speaking to the Daily Beast and NBC News, claiming that while the two were out drinking at bars, Schlapp repeatedly violated his personal space and touched him inappropriately during the drive back.
  • The man also claimed that after the car ride, Schlapp invited him to his hotel room. The man says he declined and reported the alleged Oct. 19 incident to senior campaign staff. Schlapp's attorney said, "the attack is false," and they're "evaluating legal options for response."
  • The man has since revealed text messages he sent to a friend that night that express his uncertainty about how to report the incident to his superiors and also describe Schlapp as “pissed” his hotel invitation was rejected.
  • The staffer has been described as an experienced political strategist who worked on multiple high-profile national and state campaigns. The ACU, which Schlapp runs, is most known for holding the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Sources: Mediaite, New York Post, Mercury, and CNN.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Vanity Fair. This isn't surprising given Schlapp's history of defending those accused of sexual misconduct. The fact that he attempted to contact his accuser "to talk" the day after the incident doesn't help his case either. This is yet another scenario of a potentially unfair power dynamic gone wrong, but hopefully, Schlapp will be held accountable after the release of more and more information.
  • Narrative B, as provided by CPAC. These accusations are all being made within propaganda publications like the Daily Beast, carrying the whisper of a farce created solely to smear the name of an influential Republican leader. Schlapp has been highly regarded for a long time, and these allegations don't fit with his personal character or values at all.