In response to financial enigmas surrounding the organization’s boss, a prominent official in the group that organizes CPAC, the very significant meeting of conservative leaders, reportedly resigned on Tuesday night.
Longtime American Conservative Union treasurer Bob Beauprez said that he was not fully informed about funds being spent for chairman Matt Schlapp’s legal defense against a claim of sexual assault.
An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by Schlapp. Beauprez’s departure occurs while the organization is in a precarious position as Schlapp fights the legal action and CPAC’s influence wanes in the post-Trump environment.
Longtime Republican aide Carlton Huffman said in January that Schlapp frequently touched him while they were down in Georgia last autumn doing campaigning for Herschel Walker’s senate race.
Schlapp, a former senior Bush administration official who became a significant lobbyist and conservative power broker in Trump’s Washington, disputes the accusations.
Days after the complaint was filed, Beauprez, a former Republican congressman, claimed that Schlapp received a $50,000 advance from ACU’s executive committee in order to get legal counsel right away.
Ben Chew, a well-known attorney who recently represented Johnny Depp in his case against Amber Heard, was retained by Schlapp.
After some debate about who should foot the bill for future expenses, Schlapp told Beauprez that he had received an additional $270,000 from donations to ACU and its affiliated foundation, ACUF.
Beauprez said that this came as a complete surprise to him. When he said that ACU’s attorney informed him at CPAC in February that the funds “were already either dispersed or invoiced,” his amazement increased.
“I have to admit that I feel like I’m in the dark. I have received no further information about what additional costs have accrued since then … I assume any monies paid are either coming from Matt personally or from ACU/F. But, again, I don’t know, and it is most unsettling.” Beauprez said.
Beauprez said that ACU was breaking several of its bylaws and might be in significant legal trouble. He said that without a vote or the consent of the whole board, board members were getting paid by the organization.
He charged Schlapp with violating the board’s own regulations by having complete control over when meetings might take place.
He thinks the entire ACU is corrupt.
“A cancer has been metastasizing within the organization for years. It must be diagnosed, treated, and cured, or it will destroy ACU/F. You simply cannot survive like this.” He concluded.
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