GOP campaign staffer sues CPAC head Matt Schlapp over sexual assault allegation, defamation
![Mercedes and Matt Schlapp](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AdpsB9pEkk3De9vzXfuyUV-415-80.jpg)
A Republican campaign worker who has accused American Conservative Union chair Matt Schlapp of groping his crotch last October sued Schlapp and his wife, fellow Republican operative Mercedes Schlapp, on Tuesday for defamation and sexual battery.
The unidentified GOP campaign staffer was working for Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker's campaign at the time of the alleged groping. He told The Daily Beast in early January that if Matt Schlapp denied his sexual assault allegations, he would step forward and identify himself. Schlapp has denied the allegation. But the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Virginia Circuit Court in Alexandra was filed anonymously.
The lawsuit accuses Schlapp of "aggressively fondling" the man's "genital area in a sustained fashion" while the two were alone in a car, en route to Schlapp's Atlanta hotel room on Oct. 19. The episode left the staffer "frozen with shock, mortification, and fear from what was happening, particularly given Mr. Schlapp's power and status in conservative political circles," the lawsuit said. It also accuses Mercedes Schlapp of defamation for texting her neighbors that the staffer is a "troubled individual" who had been "fired from multiple jobs," including for "lying on his résumé." The staffer claims none of those allegations are true, Politico and The New York Times report.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The Schlapp family is suffering unbearable pain and stress due to the false allegation from an anonymous individual," Schlapp lawyer Charlie Spies said in a statement. "No family should ever go through this and the Schlapps and their legal team are assessing counter-lawsuit options." The American Conservative Union, which runs the influential Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), is standing behind Schlapp.
The staffer's attorney, Timothy Hyland, said his client "takes no joy in filing this lawsuit," but Schlapp "has had ample time to accept responsibility and apologize for his despicable actions."
Multiple Walker campaign officials backed up the staffer's version of events, saying he informed the campaign the morning after the alleged incident and his supervisor told him not to drive Schlapp to a Macon campaign event, as scheduled.
Schlapp did not show up at the Macon rally or explain why he cut his trip short, Walker's campaign staff told Politico. And "if he had shown up to the event, we were not going to have him speak," a senior Walker campaign official added. "We were going to politely decline."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Paloma recipe: the cocktail of the summer
The Week Recommends This refreshing drink balances the fresh and fizzy taste of grapefruit soda with a subtle flavour of smooth tequila
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Mushroom edibles are tripping up users
the explainer The psychedelics can sometimes have questionable components
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Prisons are simply not prepared for extreme heat
Under the radar Inmates are at severe risk of heat-related illness
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The convention speakers whose political stars rose
The Explainer Why you're likely to see the future leaders of the Democratic and Republican Parties at the conventions
By David Faris Published
-
Menendez convicted of bribery, fraud, and extortion
Speed Read The New Jersey Democratic Senator was found guilty in a federal corruption trial
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Florida judge dismisses Trump documents case
Speed Read Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that special counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Hamas says military chief survived Israeli strike
Speed Read An Israeli bombing failed to hit its intended target, military commander Mohammed Deif, but killed at least 90 Palestinians
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
First Israeli report on Oct. 7 finds 'severe mistakes and errors' in IDF response
Speed Reads Israeli military admits failures in response to deadly Hamas attack that triggered Gaza war
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Biden saw neurologist during physicals
Speed Read Following his bad debate performance, many are asking questions about the president's brain
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Russia bombs Kyiv children's hospital
Speed Reads The daytime barrage interrupted heart surgeries and killed at least 40 people
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published