Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) founder Matt Schlapp appeared on Steve Bannon's War Room podcast soon after reports said that Fox News might not carry the event amid groping allegations.
In a lawsuit filed earlier this year, a staffer for former Senate candidate Herschel Walker accused Schlapp of "aggressively fondling" his "genital area in a sustained fashion."
"I can understand why people don't want to come to Washington, D.C.," Schlapp told Bannon on Monday. "But here's the deal. It's our capital too, and we must reclaim it."
"The media wants to write the story that CPAC is on the decline, that Donald Trump is on the decline, that conservatism is on the decline, and that America is on the incline because it's embracing socialism, communism, and all the rest," he opined.
Schlapp revealed one top Republican was shunning the event.
"[House Speaker] Kevin McCarthy is not coming to CPAC; I wish he would," he said. "But I think [House Majority Leader] Elise Stefanik and other members of leadership are coming."
The CPAC founder pushed discounted tickets to his D.C. event.
"There's still tickets available," he noted. "I was worried about it. I didn't know if people would come back into D.C. and even hang out because they think it's unsafe. They don't like the fact that people are still in prison from [Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol]."
Schlapp concluded the interview by suggesting he wouldn't be ostracized for long due to the groping allegations.
"I'm reemerging. Don't worry," he insisted.
"I knew it wouldn't be long," Bannon laughed.
In a report on Monday, The Daily Beast's Justin Baragona observed that Schlapp had "all but disappeared from Fox News—a shocking break from years past."
"[I]t remains to be seen if and how Fox News will cover the annual right-wing confab amid CPAC boss Matt Schlapp's alleged groping scandal," the report said.
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