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GOP strategist comes forward publicly in sexual assault case against conservative leader Matt SchlappMarch 8, 2023
The Republican political strategist who accused conservative leader Matt Schlapp, the influential chairman of the American Conservative Union, of sexual assault is revealing his identity after a judge ruled Wednesday that he cannot move forward with his lawsuit anonymously.
Carlton Huffman, 39, was working for Herschel Walker’s Senate campaign in Georgia when Huffman said Schlapp groped and fondled his groin without his consent as he drove the ACU president back from two area bars to an Atlanta hotel several weeks before the November midterm election.
Huffman, who gave CNN permission to use his name ahead of the court’s decision being made public, plans to proceed with his civil lawsuit, which is seeking more than $9 million in damages for alleged sexual battery, defamation and conspiracy to impugn the accuser.
In a statement given to CNN, Huffman said, “On Oct 19, 2022, Matt Schlapp attempted to take my dignity but he did not take my voice. Today, I reclaim that voice and for every victim of sexual assault, I am here to say there is justice and there will be accountability. I look forward to our day in court.”
Benjamin Chew, the Schlapps’ lawyer, told CNN, “The Schlapps are gratified by the Court’s decision.”
Mark Corallo, a spokesman for the Schlapps, said in a separate statement, “We are confident that when his full record is brought to light in a court of law, we will prevail. Out of respect for the court, we have no further comment at this time.”
An attorney for Huffman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“It’s a scandal,” one Republican operative who has worked on several presidential campaigns told CNN. “If you are thinking about running for president and you’re not Donald Trump, you can’t afford a misstep. You can’t afford to be linked to a scandal.”
Huffman was working for the Georgia GOP and Walker’s campaign at the time and had been assigned to drive Schlapp to campaign events in the Atlanta area.
Huffman, who was listed as John Doe in the initial lawsuit, alleges that after he came forward with his accusations, Schlapp and Mercedes Schlapp, his wife, partook in “dishonest efforts” along with “others associated with and acting in concert with them, to discredit Mr. Doe.”
The lawsuit goes on to claim that, as a result of the Schlapps’ alleged conspiracy, Huffman “suffered damages, including and without limitation embarrassment, humiliation, stress, and reputational harm.”
ACU leadership defended Schlapp after the allegations became public earlier this year, calling the initial report an attempt at “character assassination.” The group’s first and second vice chairs added, “We stand squarely behind Matt Schlapp, and the ACU Board of Directors has full confidence in his leadership of the organization.”
Huffman said he had agreed to meet Schlapp for a beer in October because he was “eager to make a connection” due to Schlapp’s prominence within the Republican Party. The men met up for drinks at two Atlanta bars, and while at the second bar, the lawsuit says Schlapp “sat unusually close to Mr. Doe, such that his leg repeatedly contacted and was in almost constant contact with Mr. Doe’s leg,” making him uncomfortable, according to the lawsuit.
Huffman alleged that as he drove Schlapp to his hotel, Schlapp “began aggressively fondling (his) genital area in a sustained fashion,” the lawsuit says, causing Huffman to freeze with “fear and panic from what was happening.”
Later that evening, Schlapp called Huffman, according to a call log reviewed by CNN, to confirm that Huffman would be driving him to another Walker event the next morning. After receiving the call, Huffman said he broke down and memorialized what happened by recording videos of himself describing the alleged assault.
“Matt Schlapp, of the CPAC, grabbed my junk and pummeled it at length. And I’m sitting there (in the car) saying, ‘What the hell is going on that this person with a wife and kids is literally doing this to me, from Manuel’s Tavern to the Hilton Garden Inn there at the Atlanta Airport,’” Huffman said in one of the self-recorded clips, which CNN reviewed. “He literally has his hands on me. And I feel so fking dirty. Feel so fking dirty. So I don’t know what to do in the morning.”
Huffman ultimately decided to tell top Walker campaign officials about the alleged incident. They immediately directed him not to drive Schlapp and to pass on a phone number for a car service.
Tim Hyland, an attorney for Huffman, said in an earlier statement that, “Because Mr. Schlapp has refused to own up to his misbehavior, this suit aims to make Mr. Schlapp, and those who lie for him, accountable for their actions.”
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/08/politics/matt-schlapp-accuser-identity/index.html