Male Herschel Walker aide DROPS sexual harassment suit against top conservative Matt Schlapp after claiming he 'aggressively fondled his crotch' after a trip to a bar

The Republican operative who accused high-profile conservative leader Matt Schlapp of sexual assault has dropped his lawsuits against him and his wife.  

'I am discontinuing all of my lawsuits,' said Carlton Huffman, 40, who had accused the head of the American Conservative Union of groping him in 2022 when he was working for Herschel Walker's Senate campaign. 

'The claims made in my lawsuits were the result of a complete misunderstanding, and I regret that the lawsuit caused pain to the Schlapp family.'

In his suit, he alleged that Schlapp was 'aggressively fondling' his groin as the two drove from a restaurant to a hotel. 

It demanded $9.4 million for a count of sexual battery and of defamation against Schlapp and his wife Mercedes. 

'Our family was attacked by a left-wing media that is focused on the destruction of conservatives regardless of the truth and the facts,' said conservative leader Matt Schlapp, seen here in a photograph with his wife Mercedes

'I am discontinuing all of my lawsuits,' said Carlton Huffman, 40, who had accused the head of the American Conservative Union of groping him in 2022 when he was working for Herschel Walker's Senate campaign

Schlapp, 56, said his family had been victims of a 'relentless war' waged by political opponents.

'Our family was attacked by a left-wing media that is focused on the destruction of conservatives regardless of the truth and the facts,' he said.

'But we emerge from this ordeal stronger as husband and wife, stronger as parents to our five daughters, stronger as friends to those who stood by us.'

Huffman also dropped a case against Caroline Wren, an adviser to Schlapp. 

He initially filed the suit anonymously as 'John Doe,' citing his status as the alleged victim of a sexual assault.

It described how Schlapp was in Georgia towards the end of the 2022 election campaign to lend his support to former football star Walker, who eventually lost a runoff election to Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. 

It alleged that Schlapp invited the campaign staff for drinks after Huffman had driven him back to Atlanta after an event.

At a local bar, Schlapp 'sat unusually close' to the accuser, 'such that his leg repeatedly contacted, and was in almost constant contact with Mr. Doe's leg,' said the filing.

Huffman was working for Herschel Walker's campaign for Senate in Georgia. He lost in a runoff

Huffman putting out Walker signs outside an event in Kennesaw, Georgia

The staffer then drove him back to his hotel. During the ride, Schlapp allegedly put his hand on Huffman's leg leaving him 'frozen with shock, mortification and fear from what was happening, particularly given Mr. Schlapp's power and status in conservative social circles.'

The Conservative Political Action Conference welcomed the decision to drop the case.

'The board of directors stands squarely behind Matt Schlapp as the leader of this organization,' it said.

'The left-wing media did not, of course, wait for the facts to come out and instead launched a character assassination campaign to destroy CPAC, Matt, and his family.'