Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has repeatedly and vocally claimed President Donald Trump is guilty of inciting the violent moments of the Capitol Hill protest on January 6 that saw a collection of Antifa, “boogaloo” proponents, and Trump supporters breach the U.S. Capitol building, has not been invited to CPAC.
McConnell, who would likely face an overwhelmingly unfriendly audience at the annual conservative meetup, this year held in President Trump’s home state of Florida, has not been invited to CPAC, reports McClatchy.
“Leader McConnell did a great job confirming judges, and we know he will be a strong supporter of restoring appropriate election laws. Next year would be a better year for him to address the improvements to election laws once the states have time to act,” said Dan Schneider, an executive director of the organization behind CPAC.
“There’s always tension between the grassroots and the establishment. That’s part of the history of this thing,” a CPAC source told McClatchy, adding that the decision to move to event from the Washington, D.C. area to Florida would create “inherently” create a more pro-Trump audience. “You’re not going to have the swampy set.”
While McConnell remains in the nation’s capitol, President Trump is set to speak at CPAC on Sunday, where he reportedly plans to frame himself as the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee and the future of the Republican Party.
McClatchy reported that McConnell referred them to CPAC when asked for a comment. National File has contacted McConnell’s press team and did not receive a response.
This would appear to indicate that Sen. Lindsey Graham, a staunch ally of McConnell and a lukewarm ally of President Trump, was not successful in his recent trip to Florida. As National File reported, Graham sought to convince President Trump to end the feud started by McConnell.
“I want us to come together as much as possible. I think we need to be united around getting the majority back,” Graham told The Hill. “The worst possible outcome for the Republican Party is to continue to argue amongst itself.”
Graham went to Florida to convince the former President to mend his relationship with the establishment Republican leader after President Trump issued a statement calling McConnell a “dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack” who is singularly responsible for the 2020 loss of the Senate, and pledged to endorse America First politicians to challenge McConnell’s establishment cronies.
“We know our America First agenda is a winner, not McConnell’s Beltway First agenda or Biden’s America Last,” said President Trump, adding, “Where necessary and appropriate, I will back primary rivals who espouse Making America Great Again and our policy of America First. We want brilliant, strong, thoughtful, and compassionate leadership.”
President Trump’s statement inspired on Kentucky county’s Republican Party to demand McConnell’s immediate resignation.