Republican activist Matt Schlapp has been accused of making unwanted and unsolicited sexual contact with a staffer in October 2022. The staffer for Herschel Walker's Senate campaign said the incident happened when he was driving the Republican activist from an Atlanta bar on the night of October 19.
He alleged that Schlapp groped and fondled his crotch in his car against his will after buying him drinks at two different bars. He added that Schlapp inappropriately and repeatedly intruded into his personal space at the bars. The staff said the lead organizer for the influential Conservative Political Action Conference wanted to spend the evening with him discussing the staffer's professional future.
Schlapp Denies
However, Schlapp has brushed off these allegations as an attack. He denied the inappropriate behaviour. Charlie Spies, Schlapp's attorney, in a statement said the latest allegation appears to be the twelfth with personal attacks on Matt Schlapp and his family. "The attack is false and Schlapp denies any improper behaviour. We are evaluating legal options for response."
The claimant highlighted that Schlapp put his hand on his leg then reached over and fondled his crotch at length while he was frozen in shock. He described this incident as "scarring and humiliating". When they arrived at the hotel, Schlapp is said to have invited him to his room but the staffer declined and left as quickly as he could.
Complainant Breaks Down
He added that Schlapp called him shortly after midnight to confirm that the staffer would still chauffeur him to an event in Macon the next day. The call was short and perfunctory, but it broke the staffer. Following this, the staffer made a series of videos detailing the incident. He also questioned himself in the videos.
"What is wrong with me? This is OK to happen? I don't know what I did. It's very sad that this is OK. From the bar to the Hilton Garden Inn, he has his hands on me. And I feel so f**king dirty. I feel so f**king dirty," he said. "I'm supposed to pick this *** up in the morning and just pretend as nothing happened. This is what I'm dealing with. This is what I got to do."
Relayed Incident to Campaign
The staffer lodged a complaint with the campaign officials and was given complete autonomy over how to move forward. He had the options of legal and therapeutic support, and pressing charges. But the complainant declined to take legal action at the time. He said he was concerned that speaking out about Schlapp could come with professional consequences and endanger career advancement. However, he is still looking at his options and would take action especially if Schlapp denies the allegations and doesn't step down from his post.
