Matt Schlapp refuses to respond to sexual assault allegations at CPAC amid claims of evidence shredding

The CPAC chairman faces a sexual battery lawsuit for allegedly groping a Republican staffer against his will

Conservative Political Action Conference chairman Matt Schlapp refused to respond to questions about the sexual assault allegations against him when he was confronted by The Independent on the first day of the right-wing event.

Last year, a male Republican campaign operative accused Mr Schlapp of making unwanted sexual advances towards him in the last days of Georgia Senate’s runoff election.

In a sexual battery lawsuit, the anonymous accuser said Mr Schlapp had “placed his hand” on his leg and “began aggressively fondling [his] genital area in a sustained fashion” while they were in a car together.

Mr Schlapp has denied the allegations against him.

When approached by The Independent at the conference on Thursday, Mr Schlapp refused to comment when asked about the scandal.

Matt Schlapp at CPAC (Getty Images)

This came one day after new court filings in the case were released on Wednesday, including a subpoena for a CPAC official who allegedly oversaw interns as they shredded documents relating to Mr Schlapp.

As part of the case, depositions have also been taken from two other men who also allege that Mr Schlapp made unwanted sexual advances towards them, according to The Daily Beast.

In a video from the night of the alleged assault in October 2022, Mr Schlapp’s accuser said the conservative activist had “put his hands on me in a sustained and unsolicited and unwanted manner,” The Daily Beast reported at the time.

“Matt Schlapp of the CPAC grabbed my junk and pummeled it at length, and I’m sitting there thinking what the hell is going on, that this person is literally doing this to me,” he said.