So the Matt Schlapp allegations are really heating up, just in time for the opening of this year's CPAC extremism. Via the Daily Beast:
On Wednesday, the opening day for CPAC 2024, the Alexandria City Courthouse posted a batch of eye-popping new filings in the sexual battery and defamation lawsuit against Schlapp—including a subpoena to a CPAC official alleged to have overseen document destruction days after the accusations were first publicly reported. Schlapp was on notice at the time about potential legal action.
The court records show subpoenas to other key witnesses, as well, including CPAC officials and other alleged victims. Two young men who previously reported unwanted physical advances from Schlapp have been deposed, including in connection with an alleged incident where the conservative icon, drunk and stripped to his underwear, rubbed his crotch on a young man at a fundraising event months before the alleged assault at the center of the lawsuit.
The accusations surfaced last January, when The Daily Beast first reported that a conservative political operative claimed that Schlapp sexually assaulted him in his car in October 2022. The accuser, Carlton Huffman, provided text messages and other real-time communications to support his account. He followed up on those claims with a multimillion-dollar sexual battery and defamation lawsuit against Schlapp, his wife Mercedes Schlapp, and CPAC itself, which is headed for a jury trial in June.
It turns out as soon as old Matt found out about the legal action, interns were put to work shredding documents:
The alleged CPAC document destruction took place soon after the first public reports of Huffman’s accusation, according to three people familiar with the matter and communications reviewed by The Daily Beast. The communications—coming from a person in the CPAC office, and written the day of the event—even provide an exact date: Jan. 11, 2023, five days after the allegations were first publicly reported.
The shredding was allegedly carried out by interns, supposedly under the supervision of Rasmussen and CPAC general counsel David Safavian, according to the communications, which also speculate about Schlapp’s personal involvement. The interns disposed of a large quantity of records, according to the sources, even though early reports had already noted that Schlapp’s accuser—who was anonymous at the time—was clear that legal action against Schlapp was very much still pending.
But there are lots and lots of subpoenas, including former VP Charlie Gerow, Sean Hannity, Tim Miller, and various CPAC officials.
Additionally, two sources familiar with the matter told The Daily Beast that FBI agents have over the last six months spoken with multiple former CPAC officials about the organization’s finances.
Here's some advice for old Matt, who just can't seem to stop himself: No means no! Keep your hands (and crotch) to yourself!
