GOP stars skip annual CPAC conference as organizer faces sex assault allegations

Former President Donald Trump will be there, but his main rival for the Republican nomination Ron DeSantis has more important business elsewhere.

Pillow salesman and conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell will attend, but not Charlie Kirk, one of the most high-profile of conservative activists.

And Vivek Ramaswamy will take his newly minted campaign in front of the right-wing faithful, while Nikki Haley, the only other declared 2024 runner, will stay away.

The Conservative Political Action Conference kicks off on Thursday with its organizer facing sexual assault allegations and fresh questions about whether its collection of hardline firebrands is as relevant as when Trump was in office. 

Trump supporters don’t care and are delighted his rivals have given up the stage.

Conservative radio host John Fredericks said they knew they would get crushed in the event’s straw poll, which asks attendees who they want as the Republican nominee.

‘The Trump populist movement has hijacked CPAC lock, stock and barrel,’ he said. 

It is their chance to say Trump remains king of the scene. 

The event is returning to National Harbor, Md., just outside Washington, D.C., for the first time since COVID exiled it to Florida, making it easier for the capital’s politicos to attend.

But Fox News is dropping its sponsorship, and some regular speakers have opted to take a year off as the election cycle gears up for a big 2024.

Republican strategist John Feehery said CPAC had always been ‘quirky,’ representing movement conservatives rather than the establishment.

‘The best thing about CPAC is when a future president comes and speaks, and you have other future presidents there, and other people are competing for the attention of the activists,’ he said.

‘And, you know, if that’s not part of this, then it’s really not useful.’

The event’s chairman Matt Schlapp faces his own difficulties. He has been hit with a lawsuit accusing him of fondling a male aide to then-Senate candidate Herschel Walker in Georgia in October

He used a recent court filing to deny an allegation of sexual battery. 

And, in an interview with the conservative Washington Examiner, he said his position on the right of politics seemed to make him fair game for liberal journalists.

‘Fake journalists pushing this leftist agenda and lying, and I’m a victim of that, right? 

‘This media will take any charge and run with it if they can destroy a Republican or a Trump supporter or conservative,’ he said.

‘That’s what we have in this country.’

He brushed aside criticism that some stars were staying away or that the agenda was too Trump-centric, saying that the former president was still the biggest force in the party.

The convention, he added, would highlight recent clashes over social policy and accusations that the media were colluding with the Left to silence debate. 

‘Our goal at CPAC has been to highlight these things instead of hiding them because they’re uncomfortable, oh my gosh, they are uncomfortable,’ he said. 

‘It is uncomfortable when you get called these things. But the fact is, what are your actions, and where’s your heart?’

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, another figure weighing a White House run, will appear, as will Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida. 

But many of the speakers come from the hardline election-denier wing of the party, such as Lindell, who has pushed conspiracy theories, and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Kari Lake, the news anchor-turned-Arizona gubernatorial candidate who refused to concede after losing last year, is the star speaker at Friday night’s gala dinner. 

And activists will also hear from Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, whose supporters stormed parliament in January as they disputed his election loss. 

A Trump senior adviser, Jason Miller, said it remained a vital platform. 

‘CPAC is the greatest mass gathering of conservative leaders, activists and media outlets until debates start later this year, and President Trump is well-positioned to dominate the conference and its immense news coverage,’ he said. 

‘There simply are no comparable events or opportunities over the next six months, giving President Trump a unique advantage.’

Last year, Fox News’ streaming arm was a major sponsor. But it will not be returning, and anchors such as Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity will be absent.

One conservative media insider saw a four-fold problem for CPAC, creating long-simmering reasons for partners, speakers and exhibitors not to return: 2023 is an off-year with no elections; there’s a rift in the conservative landscape as DeSantis eats into Trump support; Schlapp faces serious allegations; and there is a long-held feeling that CPAC represents a quasi-friendly extortion operation, where you have to pay to play, and speakers slots are up for bid.