Tag: Matt Schlapp

A pair of unnamed sources allege President Trump directed his then-attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about the Moscow tower project, but no other news outlets have been able to confirm the story. #Outnumbered #FoxNews FOX News Channel (FNC)…

Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union – the country's oldest conservative lobbying organization – discussed the Mueller investigation, the Koch brothers’ refusal to endorse a prominent Republican senatorial candidate, and the GOP’s challenge recruiting women to run for office on ABC's Powerhouse Politics podcast. Shortly before the Wednesday taping, President Donald Trump called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end the special counsel investigation – from which Sessions has recused himself – with a tweet that quickly sparked debate about whether Trump's comment constituted obstruction of justice. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018 Asked whether it's appropriate for Trump to weigh in on the ongoing investigation, Schlapp said, “That’s the best way to move forward.” The ACU chairman insisted that the president should “actively manage” the Department of Justice probe. He suggested that Trump is aiming to apply a “stopwatch” to the investigation, “an end time when they have to simply say what they have in mind.” As for Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed to investigate matters related to Russian interference in the 2016 elections, Schlapp said, “the politics of this investigation are really getting away from him.” ABC's Political Director Rick Klein pointed out that Mueller has not weighed in on the politics of the probe, despite repeated attacks from the president. Schlapp acknowledged that the GOP has a problem recruiting women to run, saying, “You have to have a welcome mat, and you have to be encouraging.” He said that, conversely, Democrats struggle to attract men. “They have unwritten codes of, ‘well we really hold this for an African American member, we’re holding this for a female member or a diverse member,’ and we don’t tend to do that in the Republican party, and I actually think that’s better,” he said. Schlapp, who noted that he was previously employed by Koch Industries, also weighed in on the Koch brothers’ recent decision, announced Monday, not to back Rep. Kevin Cramer, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in North Dakota. Still, Schlapp is optimistic about the midterms, saying he believes strong economic growth will likely prevent Democrats from taking back the House. He acknowledged that a Democrat-controlled Congress would be a major problem, saying he thinks Democrats would move quickly to impeach the president.

In an interview with CNN's Alisyn Camerota, American Conservative Union Chairman and Donald Trump supporter Matt Schlapp says that Cohen "duped Trump" and it can happen to anyone.

Former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Michael Steele on Friday blasted a comment from a Conservative Political Action Conference spokesman in which the CPAC official said that the RNC picked Steele to lead the party because "he was a black guy." "I wanted to talk to [CPAC chair] Matt Schlapp first, but I think it’s painfully stupid what he said," Steele told the Observer when asked about a remark CPAC communications director Ian Walters made at a dinner during the conference. "If he feels that way I’d like him to come say that to my face," Steele added. "And then I’d like him to look at my record and see what I did. I can’t believe an official of CPAC would go onstage in front of an audience and say something like that. I’ve been a strong supporter of CPAC for many years and I thought they raised them better than that here." In a speech at CPAC's Ronald Reagan dinner on Friday, Walters reportedly criticized Republican thinking surrounding the decision to pick Steele to lead the RNC. Walters did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment on Friday night. Steele told the Observer that Walters's comment "shows a lack of maturity and a lack of understanding of the work we did and the work we continue to do." Steele, who led the RNC from 2009 until 2011, has spoken critically of President Trump in the past, including on Friday, when he blasted Trump's proposal to arm trained teachers on school campuses as "delusional."