GOP strategist accusing conversative leader Matt Schlapp of sexual misconduct comes forward and reveals his identity

The Herschel Walker Senate campaign staffer who accused prominent conservative activist Matt Schlapp of sexual misconduct came forward Wednesday after a judge said he had to use his real name to move ahead with his lawsuit.

Carlton Huffman, a longtime Republican strategist, filed a battery and defamation lawsuit in January, accusing Schlapp of groping him during a car ride in Georgia before the 2020 midterm elections. He is seeking more than $9 million in damages.

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The lawsuit accuses Schlapp of “aggressively fondling” Huffman’s “genital area in a sustained fashion” as he was driving Schlapp back to his hotel in October following a Walker campaign event that day.

Schlapp, the Conversative Political Action Conference chair and longtime adviser to former President Donald Trump, denied the allegations.

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Huffman, 39, originally filed the lawsuit anonymously as “John Doe,” citing his status as an alleged sexual assault and fear of retaliation from Schlapp’s supporters.

Huffman said he plans to amend the lawsuit to include his name, telling the Washington Post that he’s “not going to drop this. Matt Schlapp did what he did and he needs to be held accountable.”

Contributing The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Schlapp accuser comes forward as GOP strategist in lawsuit.