Exclusive: Matt Schlapp, CPAC Chairman, allegedly sexually assaulted a man at a bar, witnesses say.
The allegation marks the latest in a series of sexual misconduct claims against Schlapp over the past three years.
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Matt Schlapp, the Chairman of the American Conservative Union, which hosts the CPAC convention, allegedly engaged in lewd conduct and allegedly sexually assaulted a man at a restaurant and bar in Virginia on Saturday night, six witnesses and the man who alleges he was assaulted tell me.
Schlapp has repeatedly been accused of sexual misconduct in recent years by multiple individuals, with at least one allegation reportedly ending in a confidential settlement of nearly half a million dollars, paid on Schlapp’s behalf by an insurance company to the accuser—also a man.
The restaurant and bar, located in north-central Virginia, is within close driving distance of a property owned by Schlapp and his wife, Mercedes “Mercy” Schlapp, according to public records I reviewed.
The Schlapps, who strongly support President Trump, have been featured as Washington power brokers by multiple national publications, including The New York Times. Mercedes Schlapp worked in the Trump White House during the first Trump administration, and both Schlapps are often on cable news stridently defending the president.
I spoke to seven sources, a mix of men and women, who were present at the bar on Saturday night. All of them spoke on the condition of anonymity, either because they feared retaliation from the well-connected Schlapp or because their employers would disapprove of them speaking to the press without authorization.
I have also reviewed video footage and photographs confirming Schlapp was present at the bar.
Further, sources confirmed to me that Schlapp used a credit card in his name to set up a tab, which he did not close out.
After I texted Schlapp the allegations and information about my story, he quickly called me twice and also texted, asking me to call him. I told him I would call him back in five minutes, and he acknowledged my response. I returned the call five minutes later but received no answer. My text message not only laid out the allegations but also provided Schlapp with a specific deadline for comment. I stated that I would only speak to him or his representatives on the record and would not engage in off-the-record or on-background conversations a long-standing policy I follow when stories involve allegations of misconduct.
Schlapp never returned my call. Since that brief text exchange, I have texted him several more times, called him again, and emailed him. I also tweeted at him before I published this story.
Schlapp posts regularly on X on a daily basis, but he stopped tweeting about an hour after I reached out to him yesterday.
Sources who spoke to me said Schlapp entered the restaurant and bar on Saturday night and spent over an hour repeatedly standing very close to groups of men, making them—some of whom are gay—uncomfortable. Several of them confronted him.
He also allegedly intentionally and unnecessarily passed by the men in a way that allowed his body to closely graze against theirs, sources tell me.
According to witnesses, Schlapp was within two feet or less of these men, despite there being plenty of space, making such proximity unnecessary. They told me that Schlapp followed them around while he was in the restaurant and bar.
Video footage from the night of the incident, in which Schlapp is visible, shows that he had no reason to be as close to the men as he was.
Witnesses also say that Schlapp allegedly repeatedly shifted his body to stay within the sightline of these men.
“Every time I looked around—whether we were on the dance floor, at the bar, or back at the table talking to people—every time I turned around, this guy was right there, one foot behind me. And I was just not comfortable with this,” the man who says he was assaulted told me.
The man’s partner (a woman) also told me she confronted Schlapp, informing him that the man was in a relationship with her and asking him to back off.
While the same man was asking Schlapp to leave because everyone felt uncomfortable with his presence and conduct, Schlapp—while the man was mid-sentence—grabbed and gripped his genitals while looking him directly in the eyes, the man told me.
After the alleged assault, the man who says he was assaulted reported the incident to a manager, who escorted Schlapp out.
Despite being asked to leave, Schlapp returned to the bar, leading to a heated confrontation, according to multiple sources.
Schlapp did not close out his tab, and his name was repeatedly called by the bartender when the last call was made, according to multiple witnesses.
The alleged assault and Schlapp’s alleged lewd conduct were widely discussed among the other patrons at the bar, many of whom knew each other, according to witnesses.
A History of Allegations
In the past three years, Schlapp has been accused of sexual misconduct multiple times.
In January 2023, The Daily Beast, the first news organization to report allegations against him, detailed accusations from a staffer working on Herschel Walker’s Senate campaign in Georgia. The staffer, Carlton Huffman, accused Schlapp of grabbing his genitals without consent and then inviting him to his hotel room.
The Daily Beast also reported that Huffman recorded video statements after the alleged assault and told several people, including multiple Walker campaign colleagues, about the incident.
Huffman later filed a $9 million lawsuit against Schlapp and his wife, Mercedes Schlapp, for battery and defamation, according to court documents.
The lawsuit was amended to include two additional allegations, which, as The Washington Post first reported, were the result of discovery.
These allegations were reportedly shared with ACU staff, but Schlapp was not disciplined.
According to court filings reviewed by The Washington Post, neither accuser was named in the amended lawsuit.
One incident involved a staffer alleging that Schlapp tried to kiss him after an event in 2017. The Washington Post reviewed documentation from the evening of the incident showing physical contact that the staffer said was unsolicited.
The other incident, in 2022, allegedly involved Schlapp stripping to his underwear and “rubbing against another person without his consent.”
One week after these allegations were added to the lawsuit, the Schlapps and Huffman abruptly released statements.
“The claims made in my lawsuits were the result of a complete misunderstanding, and I regret that the lawsuit caused pain to the Schlapp family. The Schlapps have advised that the statements made about me were the result of a misunderstanding, which was regrettable. Neither the Schlapps nor the ACU paid me anything to dismiss my claims against them,” Huffman said.
Schlapp’s statement, in part, read: “From the beginning, I asserted my innocence.” He then said he and his wife would “emerge from this ordeal stronger as husband and wife, stronger as parents to our five daughters, stronger as friends to those who stood by us.”
But Huffman’s statement—that neither the Schlapps nor the ACU paid him anything to dismiss his claims—was worded carefully.
As CNN first reported, Huffman was paid a confidential settlement of $480,000 by an insurance company, and the statements he and the Schlapps released were a condition of the agreement.
The previous allegations and litigation against Schlapp cost the ACU over $1 million in legal fees and led to multiple board members resigning, according to a report in The Washington Post.
However, Schlapp was able to organize support for himself among the board and remain as chairman.
The next CPAC convention is scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C., beginning on February 19. As always, top conservative media figures and elected officials are expected to speak at the convention.
(This story will be updated with background details unrelated to the allegations and any relevant updates. Please click the “view in browser” or “read in app” link at the top of this email to read the latest version.)
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Why am I not surprised???
Ali told Schlapp he would not accept any off the record comments. Yet he prints allegations from unnamed individuals. This crap is what killed the legacy media and should kill left wing hacks who continue with non-stop allegations from unnamed sources.