And it gets so much worse…
Schlapp, the Chairman of the American Conservative Union that annually hosts the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), has been repeatedly accused of sexual misconduct towards men in the past.
Reports indicate that he paid out at least one confidential settlement to an alleged victim in the past for nearly half a million dollars. Somehow, despite the allegations, he remains a fixture of conservative politics.
Schlapp is married to a woman who worked in the first Trump administration and they have five children together.
According to this new accusation — reported on by journalist Yashar Ali — Schlapp assaulted a man in Virginia at a restaurant/bar that is close to a property that Schlapp owns with his wife.
Ali reviewed video footage and photographs that confirmed Schlapp’s presence at the venue. He also confirmed that Schlapp’s credit card was used to close out a tab.
Schlapp allegedly entered the bar/restaurant and spent nearly an hour hovering far too closely to a group of men, including some gay men, to the point that they became uncomfortable. Eventually a few of them confronted him.
Schlapp also moved past the men in such a way as to intentionally graze up against them physically. He stood extremely close — within two feet or less — despite there being more than ample room to give them space. He also followed them around the venue.
The video footage that Ali reviewed confirmed that Schlapp was standing bizarrely close to the men despite the available space. He repeatedly moved his body so that he could remain directly in their eye sight.
“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,” said the alleged assault victim.
The man, who is not gay, confronted Schlapp and told him that he was in a relationship with a woman before asking him to leave him alone. While the man was still talking, Schlapp allegedly grabbed and gripped the man’s genitals while maintaining aggressive eye contact.
The alleged victim reported the attack to the manager and Schlapp was removed from the property. Schlapp then returned to establishment, resulting in a “heated confrontation.”
The next CPAC convention is slated for February 19th. A sane organization would remove this predator from its leadership position but given the fact that the Republican Party is now led by an adjudicated rapist in Donald Trump, it’s unclear how — if at all — these heinous new allegations will affect Schlapp.
