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Matt Schlapp

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Matt Schlapp
Chairman of the American Conservative Union
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 19, 2014
Preceded byAl Cardenas
White House Director of Political Affairs
In office
May 23, 2003 – February 2005
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byKen Mehlman
Succeeded bySara Taylor
Personal details
Born
Matthew Aaron Schlapp

(1967-12-18) December 18, 1967 (age 56)
Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
​
(m. 2002)​
Children5
EducationUniversity of Notre Dame (BA)
Wichita State University (MPA)

Matthew Aaron Schlapp (born December 18, 1967) is an American political activist and lobbyist who is chairman of the American Conservative Union.[1] He leads the lobbying firm Cove Strategies, which had strong ties to the Donald Trump administration.[2] He is also a Fox News political contributor.

Schlapp was President George W. Bush's deputy assistant and political director during Bush's first term.[3] He is married to Mercedes Schlapp, who was President Donald Trump's Director of Strategic Communications.

He was sued for $9 million for battery and defamation by a former aide to failed US Senate candidate Herschel Walker, alleging that Schlapp sexually assaulted him – groping and fondling his groin area – during a car ride several weeks before the 2022 midterm election.[4]

Early life and education

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Raised in Wichita, Kansas, Matt Schlapp is the son of Susan Schlapp, a former city councilwoman who, after eight years of service on the Wichita City Council (2003-2011), became the senior constituent liaison for the Kansas Department of Commerce under Governor Sam Brownback.[5][6]

Schlapp's early schooling began at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School in Wichita, and in 1986, he graduated from Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School.[7] He earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame, and went on to earn a Master's degree in public policy from Wichita State University.[3]

Political career

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George W. Bush

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Schlapp began his political career in 1994 and worked five years as a press secretary, campaign manager, and chief of staff for Representative Todd Tiahrt (R-KS). He also worked on the 2000 political campaign of George W. Bush, serving as a regional political director with oversight of Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

During Bush's 2000 presidential campaign, Schlapp helped organize and was the on-site leader of the protest which became known as the Brooks Brothers riot. The riot was a demonstration at a meeting of election canvassers in Miami-Dade County, Florida, on November 22, 2000, during a recount of votes made during the 2000 United States presidential election, with the goal of shutting down the recount. After demonstrations and acts of violence, local officials shut down the recount early.[8]

During the George W. Bush administration, Schlapp served as political director, and advised Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, members of Bush's cabinet, and senior White House staff, and had extensive contact with members of Congress and federal agencies.[9]

American Conservative Union and the 2020 election

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Schlapp speaking at CPAC Hungary 2022

On June 19, 2014, Schlapp was unanimously elected chairman of the American Conservative Union.[10]

Abbott Labs came under criticism for using Cove Strategies and Schlapp as a lobbyist despite Abbott's professed commitment to social justice and consequently cut its ties with Schlapp.[11] Comcast followed suit.[12]

While ballots were being counted during the 2020 election, Schlapp made false claims of voter fraud.[13][14][15][16] He claimed that 9,000 votes were improperly cast in Nevada; PolitiFact rated his claim with a "Pants On Fire" rating.[13]

In the final days of the Trump administration, Schlapp was also lobbying for a pardon for Parker H. "Pete" Petit, a major Republican donor, who was the Georgia finance chairman of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and was convicted of securities fraud in November 2020. Schlapp charged Parker $750,000 for his lobbying assistance during the period of December 17-31, 2020.[17][18] Schlapp's lobbying firm Cove Strategies earned more than $2.3 million in 2020.[19]

Schlapp signed the Madrid Charter, a document drafted by the conservative Spanish political party Vox that describes left-wing groups as enemies of Ibero-America involved in a "criminal project" that are "under the umbrella of the Cuban regime".[20][21]

Matt Schlapp is the ninth chairman of the American Conservative Union.[1]

Conservative Political Action Committee

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Schlapp chaired the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC), normally an unpaid position. After his wife left the White House and joined the unsuccessful Trump reelection campaign, his lobbying fees sharply declined and his CPAC compensation became $600,000 annually. His wife was also paid, receiving $175,000 from CPAC.[22]

Sexual assault allegations

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In January 2023, a campaign staffer for Herschel Walker's U.S. Senate campaign alleged that Schlapp groped him in October 2022 after Schlapp had been drinking. Schlapp denied the allegation.[4][23][22] The alleged victim filed charges against Schlapp for battery and defamation. The plaintiff provided records of contemporary phone calls and texts regarding the claims.[22] In August 2023, The Daily Beast reported[24] that Schlapp had attempted to settle the lawsuit against him for a six-figure sum.[25]

In March 2024, a Schlapp spokesman announced that the suit had been dropped, quoting a statement from the plaintiff saying "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" and "Neither the Schlapps nor the ACU paid me anything to dismiss my claims against them."[26] It turned out that the accuser was paid a settlement of $480,000 by the ACU's insurance company and was restrained from commenting.[27][28][29]

In December 2023, two additional allegations of sexual assault by Schlapp against male staffers were reported.[30][31]

Personal life

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Schlapp married Mercedes Schlapp, whom he met while they both worked at the White House, where she was the director of specialty media.[32] They co-founded Cove Strategies, a communications and political consulting firm based in Alexandria, Virginia.[33]

From September 2017 to July 2019, she served as Director of Strategic Communications in the Trump administration. Starting in July 2019, she worked on Trump's 2020 re-election campaign.[34] The couple has five daughters.[33]

Schlapp is a supporter of Israel and the Zionist movement.[35][36]

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Hon. Matt Schlapp". American Conservative Union. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  2. ^ Williamson, Elizabeth (April 30, 2018). "Meet the Schlapps, Washington's Trump-Era 'It Couple'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Team". Cove Strategies. Archived from the original on February 17, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Gangel, Jamie; Krieg, Gregory; Stuart, Elizabeth (March 8, 2023). "GOP strategist comes forward publicly in sexual assault case against conservative leader Matt Schlapp". CNN. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  5. ^ Behlmann, Emily (April 12, 2011). "With changing of the guard, Schlapp takes Department of Commerce job". Wichita Business Journal. Archived from the original on April 16, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  6. ^ Jacobs, Jeremy P. (April 9, 2009). "Pompeo to run for Tiahrt's seat". The Hill. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  7. ^ "School News, September 17, 2010". Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita. September 17, 2010. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  8. ^ Kamen, Al (July 24, 2008). "Miami 'Riot' Squad: Where Are They Now?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  9. ^ "Top Bush Political Aid to Depart". UPI. February 1, 2005. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  10. ^ Glueck, Katie (June 19, 2014). "Matt Schlapp elected ACU chairman". Politico. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  11. ^ Owusu, Tony (June 24, 2020). "Abbott Labs Cuts Ties With GOP Lobbyist Matt Schlapp". TheStreet. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  12. ^ Smith, Gerry (June 30, 2020). "Comcast Cuts Ties to Lobbyist Critical of Black Lives Matter". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  13. ^ a b McCarthy, Bill (November 11, 2020). "Matt Schlapp's baseless claim that 9,000 Nevada mail ballots are illegitimate". PolitiFact. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  14. ^ Parker, Ashley; Dawsey, Josh (November 5, 2020). "Trump turns angry and despondent as possible defeat looms". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  15. ^ Dilanian, Ken (November 5, 2020). "The Russians have no need to spread misinformation. Trump and his allies are doing it for them". NBC News. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  16. ^ Dwyer, Mimi; Lynch, Sarah N. (November 4, 2020). "'Sharpiegate' allegations fuel unproven claims of voter fraud in Arizona". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  17. ^ Melin, Anders; Van Voris, Bob (February 23, 2021). "CEO Who Blamed His Cancer on Short Sellers Gets a Year in Prison". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  18. ^ Schmidt, Michael S.; Vogel, Kenneth P. (January 17, 2021). "Prospect of Pardons in Final Days Fuels Market to Buy Access to Trump". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  19. ^ Evers-Hillstrom, Karl (January 22, 2021). "Trump-tied lobbyists paid massive sums to push pardons". OpenSecrets. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  20. ^ "Carta de Madrid: In Defense of Freedom and Democracy in the Iberosphere" (PDF). Fundación Disenso (in Spanish). October 26, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  21. ^ Ballesteros, Roberto R. (February 26, 2021). "Los organizadores del evento conservador del año en Estados Unidos apoyan a Abascal" [Organizers of the conservative event of the year in the U.S. support Abascal]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  22. ^ a b c Reinhard, Beth; Arnsdorf, Isaac (February 28, 2023). "As CPAC's head faces sexual assault claim, other leadership concerns emerge". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  23. ^ Allen, Jonathan (January 6, 2023). "Conservative leader Matt Schlapp is accused of fondling a male campaign staffer in Georgia". NBC News. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  24. ^ Sollenberger, Roger (August 29, 2023). "Inside Matt Schlapp's Offer to Settle the Sexual Battery Lawsuit Against Him". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  25. ^ Otten, Tori (August 29, 2023). "Matt Schlapp Tried to Settle Sexual Harassment Lawsuit With Six-Figure Offer". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  26. ^ Lippman, Daniel (March 26, 2024). "Sexual assault lawsuit against Matt Schlapp is dropped". Politico. Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  27. ^ Gangel, Jamie; Krieg, Gregory (March 27, 2024). "CNN Exclusive: Conservative bigwig Matt Schlapp agreed to hefty settlement to end sexual assault lawsuit". CNN. Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  28. ^ Sollenberger, Roger (March 27, 2024). "Matt Schlapp's Accuser Was Paid to Drop Sexual Assault Suit". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  29. ^ Wiggins, Christopher (March 28, 2024). "Matt Schlapp's sexual assault accuser got paid to drop suit: report". The Advocate. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  30. ^ Reinhard, Beth; Arnsdorf, Isaac (December 16, 2023). "Lawsuit claims CPAC knew of past allegations of sexual misconduct by Matt Schlapp". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  31. ^ Koenig, Lauren (December 17, 2023). "Two more sexual assault claims surface against head of conservative political organization | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  32. ^ "A Biography of ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp". American Conservative Union. March 24, 2015. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2024 – via YouTube.
  33. ^ a b "Meet the Schlapps, Washington's "it couple"". Axios. May 1, 2018. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  34. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Karni, Annie (July 1, 2019). "Mercedes Schlapp Leaving White House Press Office to Join Trump Campaign". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  35. ^ "Does the left have an anti-Semitism problem?". The Ingraham Angle. Fox News. February 12, 2019. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  36. ^ Kempinski, Yoni (July 21, 2022). "CPAC Chair: It could be G-d's time for conservatives in US and Israel to partner". Israel National News. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
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Political offices
Preceded by White House Director of Political Affairs
2003–2005 		Succeeded by
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