The National Pulse has seen a copy of a 13-page resignation letter from former Member of Congress and recent American Conservative Union (ACU) Treasurer Bob Beauprez. The ACU is the parent organization of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), considered a powerful organization on the political right since its inception in 1974.
The organization has been run by former Bush appointee Matt Schlapp, a lobbyist for big tech firms as well as pharmaceuticals giants, since 2014.
Finances.
The letter – sent on May 23rd to Schlapp and all other members of the board – begins with Mr. Beauprez declaring “I cannot deliver a financial report at the upcoming board meeting with any confidence in the accuracy of the numbers,” before going on to reveal a “mass exodus of staff shortly before and immediately after CPAC 2023.”
He had served in the role for eight years, almost as long as Schlapp, and was considered a key Schlapp ally on the board.
The letter also establishes that the organizations chief financial officer was recently removed from his post and replaced with Schlapp’s friend Frank Sadler, campaign manager for failed presidential candidate Carly Fiorina. The subject of financial rectitude is an overarching theme of the letter, which also contains the personal and private information of ACU staff and board members, as well as allegedly maligned young staff members.
Staff ‘in Therapy’, ‘On Drugs’.
“Over three years ago I had become quite concerned about the obvious unease, frustration, palpable tension and anxiety among staff, and high rate of turnover. Even from the outside, it was clear that things were not going well,” Beauprez wrote.
Details of the matters include: “more than a few [staff] have succumbed to professional therapists and prescription drugs. There are reports of staff escaping to the restroom and being discovered crying openly. One employee became so despondent that she stepped away from a group of friends at a restaurant and was later rescued outside on the street walking aimlessly in traffic.”
Compliance.
The document also asserts the organization under Schlapp’s stewardship is not in compliance with a number of its own bylaws, and warns about potential investigation by district attorneys. Beauprez stunningly warns: “…in some cases, our operating procedures are in direct conflict with our own bylaws. Thus, [we’re] feeding red meat to the lions!”
The letter and the further investigations it is likely to spark will concern the other members of the board, which includes the Leadership Institute’s Morton Blackwell, the Young America’s Foundation’s Ron Robinson, as well as donors such as Elaine Beck, and ex-NRA President Carolyn Meadows.
The CPAC event this year in Washington, D.C. was sparsely attended. Once drawing over 10,000 people, the 2023 event scarcely reached 2,500 attendees.
