Matt Schlapp
Chairman of the American Conservative Union
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
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 is being 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

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

George W. Bush

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

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

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

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 has filed charges against Schlapp for battery and defamation.[22] The plaintiff has provided records of contemporary phone calls and texts regarding the claims.[22]

Personal life

Schlapp married Mercedes Schlapp, whom he met while they both worked at the White House, where she was the director of specialty media.[24] They co-founded Cove Strategies, a communications and political consulting firm based in Alexandria, Virginia.[25]

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.[26] The couple has five daughters.[25]

Schlapp is a supporter of Israel and the Zionist movement.[27][28]

References

  1. 1 2 "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. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Team". Cove Strategies. Archived from the original on February 17, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Gangel, Jamie; Krieg, Gregory; Stuart, Elizabeth (March 8, 2023). "GOP strategist comes forward publicly in sexual assault case against conservative leader Matt Schlapp". CNN. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  5. ↑ Behlmann, Emily (April 12, 2011). "With changing of the guard, Schlapp takes Department of Commerce job". Wichita Business Journal. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  6. ↑ Jacobs, Jeremy P. (April 9, 2009). "Pompeo to run for Tiahrt's seat". The Hill. 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. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Top Bush Political Aid to Depart". UPI. February 1, 2005. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  10. ↑ Matt Schlapp elected ACU chairman, Politico, Katie Glueck, June 19, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  11. ↑ Owusu, Tony (June 24, 2020). "Abbott Labs Cuts Ties With GOP Lobbyist Matt Schlapp". TheStreet. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  12. ↑ Smith, Gerry (June 30, 2020). "Comcast Cuts Ties to Lobbyist Critical of Black Lives Matter". Bloomberg News. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  13. 1 2 McCarthy, Bill (November 11, 2020). "Matt Schlapp's baseless claim that 9,000 Nevada mail ballots are illegitimate". PolitiFact. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  14. ↑ Parker, Ashley; Dawsey, Josh (November 5, 2020). "Trump turns angry and despondent as possible defeat looms". The Washington Post.
  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. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  16. ↑ Dwyer, Mimi; Lynch, Sarah N. (November 4, 2020). "'Sharpiegate' allegations fuel unproven claims of voter fraud in Arizona". Reuters. 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. 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. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  19. ↑ Evers-Hillstrom, Karl (January 22, 2021). "Trump-tied lobbyists paid massive sums to push pardons". OpenSecrets.
  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). Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  22. 1 2 3 4 Reinhard, Beth; Arnsdorf, Isaac (February 28, 2023). "As CPAC's head faces sexual assault claim, other leadership concerns emerge". The Washington Post. 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. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  24. ↑ "A Biography of ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp". YouTube. American Conservative Union. March 24, 2015.
  25. 1 2 "Meet the Schlapps, Washington's "it couple"". Axios. May 1, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  26. ↑ 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. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Does the left have an anti-Semitism problem?". Fox News. February 12, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  28. ↑ 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. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
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