Amid the bombshell allegations that he “aggressively” groped a male staffer, American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp and his wife Mercedes appeared side-by-side for a cushy Valentine’s Day interview on Newsmax.
Besides discussing this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley launching her GOP presidential bid, the “fierce political power couple” also took the opportunity to portray their marriage as stronger than ever. Of course, they never once mentioned the scandal currently engrossing their lives.
Last month, a staffer for Herschel Walker’s unsuccessful Senate campaign came forward to The Daily Beast with accusations that Matt Schlapp made “sustained and unwanted and unsolicited” sexual contact with him this past October. According to the staffer, the CPAC organizer “groped” and “fondled” his crotch against his will. The conservative leader has denied all allegations.
The staffer has since filed a lawsuit accusing Schlapp of battery, defamation, and conspiracy. Additionally, the lawsuit accuses Mercedes Schlapp—a longtime right-wing commentator and former Trump administration communications director—of trying to “impugn” the staffer’s character over his allegation.
In the wake of the scandal, both Schlapps have gone missing from Fox News airwaves, despite appearing on the conservative cable giant dozens of times a piece over the past year. The network also has yet to mention the allegations or the subsequent lawsuit. The couple, however, has continued to appear on Fox News’ wannabe rival Newsmax, though the beleaguered pro-Trump channel has also altogether ignored the sexual-assault accusations during the couples’ segments.
Greeting the Schlapps on Tuesday night, Newsmax host Jenn Pellegrino gushed over the smiling pair at the top of her nightly program Prime News.
“My first guests tonight are a fierce political power couple who are an unstoppable force in the conservative movement,” Pellegrino beamed. “A warm welcome to you both! Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m so thrilled to have both of you with us tonight.”
Letting the Newsmax star know they were also “happy to spend” the Hallmark holiday with her and “all the great Newsmax viewers,” Mercedes Schlapp jumped right into the obsequious chat.
For the most part, much of the attention seemed focused on dismissing Haley as a serious threat to Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, largely due to her past criticisms of the twice-impeached ex-president. The couple also spent quite a bit of time promoting both Trump’s candidacy and his appearance at CPAC, which returns to Washington, D.C. this year after a two-year hiatus.
“My gut is Donald Trump is really positioning himself quite well to get this nomination again,” Matt Schlapp said. “And I think the thing is this—somebody might be able to be the heir to Trump, but it's not going to be somebody who seemingly rude to Trump and his supporters. I think that's the big thing that they're missing.”
He added: “And, look, she's going to be at CPAC. President Trump's going to be at CPAC. All these contenders will be at CPAC. They're going to stand before the country. They're gonna stand before these activists, and we're going to see who plays well. I look at this race more and more, I think it's shaping up very nicely for Donald Trump.”
Towards the end of the segment, Pellegrino swung back around to the couple’s relationship, asking them how they’ve been able to make it work after all these years.
“I don’t have a lot of time left you guys, but I do want to get your reaction to this because it’s Valentine’s Day,” she noted. “As we discussed at the top of the interview here, the two of you work together. You have been married for 20 years. I think a lot of people are wondering: what’s the secret?”
After the pair both turned to each other and awkwardly chuckled, Schlapp said he let his wife “ talk first in interviews” and then “get the last word in.” His spouse, meanwhile, offered up some advice she claimed they’d given their children.
“The advice we give our daughters is that person who you marry is the most important decision you’ll make in your life,” she declared. “We put God in the center, we put our family and friends in the center, and that’s what’s kept us strong throughout now 21 years of marriage.”
Matt Schlapp quipped at the end that “it’s okay to do the dishes sometimes,” prompting laughter from his wife and Pellegrino.
“And we have that on record now,” the Newsmax host cheerfully concluded.
CPAC is scheduled to begin on March 1. And while Fox News digital streaming service Fox Nation has aired the four-day annual event (along with its regional offshoots) in years past and been one of the CPAC’s top-paid sponsors, the network has yet to promote this year’s confab. Furthermore, Fox Nation’s site currently has nothing listed for the upcoming event.
Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it will air CPAC and if it plans on bringing the Schlapps back on air anytime soon. Reps for the couple also did not respond to a request for comment about CPAC’s status with Fox and the couple’s current relationship with the network.
