Matthew Aaron Schlapp (born December 18, 1967) is an American political activist and lobbyist who is chairman of the
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference. Founded on ...
.
He leads the lobbying firm Cove Strategies, which had strong ties to the
Donald Trump administration
Donald Trump's tenure as the 45th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican from New York City, took office following his Electoral College victo ...
. He is also a
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is own ...
political contributor.
Schlapp was President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
's deputy assistant and political director during Bush's first term.
He is married to
Mercedes Schlapp
Mercedes Schlapp ( Viana; born December 27, 1972) is an American communications specialist and political commentator for both English and Spanish media. She has served in two presidential administrations as director of specialty media under George ...
, who was President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
's
Director of Strategic Communications.
Early life and education
Raised in
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...
, 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
Samuel Dale Brownback (born September 12, 1956) is an American attorney, politician, diplomat, and member of the Republican Party who served as the United States Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom from 2018 to 2021. Brownba ...
.
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. He earned a
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
from the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
, and went on to earn a
Master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in public policy from
Wichita State University
Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...
.
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
William Todd Tiahrt ( ; born June 15, 1951) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1995 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected as part of the historic Republican Wave of 1994, defeating 18-ye ...
(R-KS). He also worked on the
2000 political campaign of
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
, 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
The 2000 United States presidential election was the 54th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 7, 2000. Republican candidate George W. Bush, the governor of Texas and eldest son of the 41st president, George H. W. Bush ...
, with the goal of shutting down the recount. After demonstrations and acts of violence, local officials shut down the recount early.
During the
George W. Bush administration, Schlapp served as political director, and advised Bush, Vice President
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U ...
, members of Bush's cabinet, and senior White House staff, and had extensive contact with members of Congress and federal agencies.
American Conservative Union and the 2020 Election
On June 19, 2014, Schlapp was unanimously elected chairman of the
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference. Founded on ...
.
Abbott Labs came under criticism for using Cove Strategies and Schlapp as a lobbyist despite Abbott's professed commitment to
social justice
Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals f ...
and consequently cut its ties with Schlapp.
Comcast
Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...
followed suit.
While ballots were being counted during the
2020 election, Schlapp made claims of voter fraud.
He claimed that 9,000 votes were improperly cast in Nevada;
PolitiFact
PolitiFact.com is an American nonprofit project operated by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, with offices there and in Washington, D.C. It began in 2007 as a project of the '' Tampa Bay Times'' (then the ''St. Petersburg Time ...
rated his claim false.
In the final days of the
Trump administration
Donald Trump's tenure as the 45th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican from New York City, took office following his Electoral College victory ...
, 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
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
's 2016 campaign and was convicted of
securities fraud
Securities fraud, also known as stock fraud and investment fraud, is a deceptive practice in the stock or commodities markets that induces investors to make purchase or sale decisions on the basis of false information, frequently resulting in lo ...
in November 2020. Schlapp charged Parker $750,000 for his lobbying assistance during the period of December 17-31, 2020. Schlapp's lobbying firm Cove Strategies earned more than $2.3 million in 2020.
Schlapp signed the ''
Madrid Charter'', a document drafted by the
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization ...
Spanish political party
Vox that describes left-wing groups as enemies of
Ibero-America
Ibero-America ( es, Iberoamérica, pt, Ibero-América) or Iberian America is a region in the Americas comprising countries or territories where Spanish or Portuguese are predominant languages (usually former territories of Portugal or Spain). ...
involved in a "criminal project" that are "under the umbrella of the Cuban regime".
Matt Schlapp is the ninth chairman of the American Conservative Union.
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.
[
]
Sexual assault allegations
In January 2023, a campaign staffer for Herschel Walker
Herschel Junior Walker (born March 3, 1962) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He was also the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Georgi ...
U.S. Senate campaign alleged that Schlapp groped him in October 2022 after Schlapp had been drinking. Schlapp denied the allegation. The alleged victim has filed charges against Schlapp for battery and defamation
Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
.[ The plaintiff has provided records of contemporary phone calls and texts regarding the claims.][
]
Personal life
Schlapp married Mercedes Schlapp
Mercedes Schlapp ( Viana; born December 27, 1972) is an American communications specialist and political commentator for both English and Spanish media. She has served in two presidential administrations as director of specialty media under George ...
, whom he met while they both worked at the White House, where she was the director of specialty media. They co-founded Cove Strategies, a communications and political consulting firm based in Alexandria, Virginia. From September 2017 to July 2019, she served as Director of Strategic Communications in the Trump administration. Starting in July 2019, she worked on the Trump 2020 re-election campaign. The couple has five daughters.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlapp, Matt
1967 births
American lobbyists
American political activists
American Roman Catholics
Florida lawyers
George W. Bush administration personnel
Kansas Republicans
Living people
University of Notre Dame alumni
Wichita State University alumni
Signers of the Madrid Charter