PRESS RELEASE Contact: press@congressionalintegrity.org
For Immediate Release
Date: March 1, 2023
Washington, D.C. – Jim Jordan will be interviewed tomorrow by a man accused of sexual assault, and no, it is not the former Ohio State athletic doctor who Jordan allegedly helped cover up sexual misconduct for. Jordan will be interviewed by CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp who faces recent accusations of sexual misconduct. In response, Congressional Integrity Project Executive Director, Kyle Herrig, issued the following statement:
“It is no surprise that Jim Jordan has agreed to be interviewed by a man accused of sexual assault. He has a history of trying to brush abuse under the rug and the accusations against his far-right MAGA pal Matt Schlapp will be no different. If Jim Jordan had any integrity he wouldn’t have agreed to the interview but Jordan will stop at nothing to get a platform to spew his conspiracy theories and attack President Biden and Democrats. He has admitted that his goal is to re-elect Donald Trump and the CPAC interview is just another step in his plan.”
Background
Matt Schlapp Has Been Credibly Accused of Sexually Assaulting A GOP Aide. Matt Schlapp and his wife Mercedes Schlapp, are being sued by a former Herschel Walker campaign staffer over allegations that he sexually assaulted him while on the campaign. The male staffer said Schlapp, without consent, “groped” and “fondled” his groin while the staffer was driving Schlapp back to his hotel in October 2022. The Walker staffer shared his story with friends and colleagues in the immediate aftermath of the assault and dozens of current and former CPAC employees and board members have described a wider range of complaints about Schlapp and CPAC’s culture under his leadership, including the exodus of more than half of its staff since 2021 and claims of bullying, retaliation and a “toxic” culture.
Jim Jordan Concealed Sexual Abuse Accusations At The Ohio State University. When Jim Jordan worked as a wrestling coach at the Ohio State University, he covered up allegations of sexual abuse made by student athletes against Richard Strauss, an athletic doctor. Seven different OSU wrestlers said they believed Jordan “knew about inappropriate behavior that allegedly took place in the school’s athletic department,” with one saying, “we talked about it all the time in the locker room.” Jordan initially claimed that he “never was told about any type of abuse” and tried to deny knowledge of sexual abuse. His campaign hired a PR company to actively dispute the accusations, and Jordan himself begged a former wrestler to deny knowledge of “goings on” at OSU wrestling. Jordan was even accused by a former team captain of trying to cover-up sexual abuse. Some analysts have suggested that Jordan helped conceal more than 170 cases of sexual abuse over two decades at the university by covering for Strauss.