PULSE POINTS:

❓What Happened: A Virginia judge acquitted former Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) finance director Ryan McGowan of wrongdoing in a $14,000 payout dispute, rejecting claims he overpaid departing staffers’ unused vacation time.

👥 Who’s Involved: Ryan McGowan, Alexandria Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Uston, CPAC executive Lynne Rasmussen, former CPAC general counsel David Safavian, former executive director Dan Schneider, and CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp.

📍 Where & When: Alexandria Circuit Court, Alexandria, Virginia, May 6, 2025.

⚠️ Impact: The ruling exposes CPAC leadership’s inconsistencies, potentially weakening its influence while strengthening McGowan’s rival conservative group amid ongoing fallout from the Schlapp scandal.

IN FULL:

A Virginia court has cleared former Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) finance director Ryan McGowan of allegations he improperly paid $14,000 in unused vacation time to five departing staffers, delivering a sharp rebuke to the Matt Schlapp-led outfit. The decision, handed down in Alexandria Circuit Court, highlights internal dysfunction at CPAC, which has also been rocked by homosexual scandals involving Schlapp for years.

Judge Kathleen Uston, in a 30-minute evidence review, pointed to glaring contradictions in the testimony of CPAC executive Lynne Rasmussen and former general counsel David Safavian.

Rasmussen claimed she emailed staff about a paid time off (PTO) limit but failed to produce the emails, and a text exchange showed her asking McGowan’s deputy for a 15 percent salary increase while keeping McGowan in the dark—contradicting her testimony that the deputy lacked such authority. The judge also noted the frustration of the Alexandria detective investigating the case, who was blindsided by details Rasmussen withheld.

The case, long followed by The National Pulse, was more to do with Schlapp pursuing a vendetta at those he perceived to undermine his leadership than any actual wrongdoing.

McGowan’s new conservative group, which grades lawmakers, has also drawn CPAC’s ire, though a civil suit against them was dismissed earlier this year.

Testimony also revealed McGowan had flagged a $50,000 legal bill CPAC paid for Schlapp during the scandal, reigniting scrutiny of Schlapp’s leadership.

CPAC and its parent organization, the American Conservative Union (ACU), has now shelled out vast swathes of donor cash, staff time, and attracted mountains of negative publicity as a result of Schlapp’s numerous escapades.

For years, The National Pulse has been at the forefront of exposing the corruption inside the organization, including contributions from Soros-linked groupsSoros-linked groups, as well as extreme financial improprieties.

The organization is now a shell of its former self, once hosting the largest annual conservative conference, now relegated to an afterthought.

Image by Gage Skidmore.