JUST IN: Matt Schlapp Sued for $9.4 Million by Herschel Walker Aide Who Accused Him of Sexual Assault
A Republican staffer who worked on Herschel Walker’s Senate campaign is suing Matt Schlapp for $9.4 million for alleged defamation.
The plaintiff, whose identity has been withheld, accused the American Conservative Union chairman of groping him two weeks ago. He claimed Schlapp, who is married to conservative commentator Mercedes Schlapp, grabbed his crotch while the pair were driving in October of last year.
The New York Times reported both Schlapps are named in a defamation lawsuit that was filed on Tuesday:
The lawsuit also accuses Mr. Schlapp and his wife, Mercedes Schlapp, who served as Mr. Trump’s White House director of strategic communications, of defamation and conspiracy, claiming that they coordinated a campaign to discredit the Walker aide and his allegations.
Timothy Hyland, a lawyer for the accuser, said in a statement that the lawsuit, which asks for at least $9.4 million in damages, had been filed in part because Mr. Schlapp had not apologized for “his despicable actions.”
Schlapp has maintained his innocence and floated the possibility of legal action against his accuser. The CPAC chair finally addressed the accusation Tuesday just before news of the lawsuit was reported, saying the accuser’s “real agenda” is “working in concert with Daily Beast to attack and harm the Schlapp family,” and calling the complaint false in a statement shared on Twitter.
Two weeks ago, the accuser told the Daily Beast he drove Schlapp to two Atlanta bars in October before he ultimately drove him home. On the way to Schlapp’s hotel, the then-Walker staffer said his Schlapp “groped” and “fondled” him.
“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 staffer said in a video he claimed he recorded at the time and later shared with the Beast. “I’m supposed to pick this motherfucker up in the morning and just pretend like nothing happened. This is what I’m dealing with.”
