Political Aide Accuses Matt Schlapp, High-Profile Conservative, of Groping Him

Mr. Schlapp, 55, a former aide in the George W. Bush White House, rose to prominence as an ardent public defender of Mr. Trump. He met Ms. Schlapp, 50, when both worked in the Bush administration. They married, had five daughters and, during Mr. Trump’s tenure, became one of Washington’s most prominent conservative couples.

The lawsuit accuses Mr. Schlapp of defamation by pointing to Mr. Spies’s initial statement that described the accusations as false, personal attacks.

The lawsuit argues that Ms. Schlapp defamed the Walker staff member by telling neighbors that he was a “troubled individual” who had been fired from previous jobs for lying and for making false statements on his résumé. The message was shared on a group text with neighbors, the plaintiff said.

The lawsuit says that the plaintiff had not been fired from a job for lying or for lying on his résumé.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff was assigned to drive Mr. Schlapp to a Walker campaign event on Oct. 19 in Perry, Ga.

That evening, after returning to Atlanta, Mr. Schlapp invited the staff member for a drink.

The two men met at the Capital Grille, where they chatted about sports, and then drove to a second bar, Manuel’s Tavern, about 25 minutes away, the lawsuit says. At the second bar, Mr. Schlapp sat “unusually close” to the staff member, according to the lawsuit, which claims that his leg “was in almost constant contact” with the aide’s leg.

Mr. Schlapp encouraged the staff member to have more drinks, which made the staff member uncomfortable, the lawsuit says. The staff member turned away from Mr. Schlapp to watch a baseball game on television in the bar, and Mr. Schlapp asked why the aide would not look at him, according to the lawsuit.