While CPAC is undeniably united in its support for Donald Trump, some Republicans peeled away from the main convention to host an unsanctioned panel, railing against what they described as establishment, big-monied Republicans who comprise the conservative gathering.
The panel, hosted by Look Ahead America, took place on the third day of the conservative convention, but in a different part of the hotel. While fliers advertising the panel described it as an “official CPAC event,” organizers confirmed CPAC had nothing to do with putting the event together.
“This is the main room at CPAC right now,” said Look Ahead American founder Matt Braynard.
It featured Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and former Texas Republican Party chairman Allen West. While West spoke earlier in the day during the actual CPAC convention, Gaetz did not have a speaking spot during the conference.
“Turns out, many of the CPAC organizers and main sponsors are lobbyist and political action committees, which may go a long way to explain why I’m here with you in the Monet Room,” Gaetz told a crowd of a few dozen gathered in a hotel conference room.
Gaetz went on to describe a “civil war” in the Republican Party. Mentions of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell drew boos from the crowd. He called a group of left-wing Muslim congresswomen the “Jihad Squad” and railed against the Pentagon subsidy of gender-affirming surgeries.
The panel represented another example of Republican in-fighting during the weekend convention. Earlier in the day, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem criticized Republican governors, who she did not name, for enacting mask mandates and other restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Now I’m not picking fights with Republican governors,” Noem said. “All I’m saying is that we need leaders with grit. That their first instinct is the right instinct.”
