Republican Senator Mitt Romney banned from CPAC Conference 2020

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Republican Willard Mitt Romney is an American politician and businessman. He has served as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019. Romney was the Republican Party’s nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 election. Now, he has been banned from a major conservative CPAC Conference. The action against him took place amid his vote to hear additional witnesses in the impeachment trial of the U.S President at the Senate. Romney was one of only two Republicans who sided with Democrats by voting to hear new evidence against the President on Friday. The chair of the American Conservative Union, Matt Schlapp wrote on Twitter in response to Romney’s decision. Schlapp wrote on Twitter, “BREAKING: The ‘extreme conservative’ and Junior Senator from the great state of Utah, @SenatorRomney is formally NOT invited to #CPAC2020”.

It is noteworthy that CPAC is an annual political conference for conservative activists and politicians. It has featured appearances from Republican presidents including Trump, George W Bush, and Ronald Reagan. The Republican-controlled Senate voted by 51-49 to block a push by Democrats to hear testimony from new witnesses, such as former national security adviser John Bolton, in spite of efforts from Romney. Democrats believe Bolton has first-hand knowledge of Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine into announcing an investigation into his 2020 election rival Joe Biden. The former national security advisor alleged in a manuscript for his upcoming book that Trump-linked freezing military aid to Ukraine by forcing an investigation into Biden.

Romney has previously been a favorite of CPAC attendees and holds the record for winning the most CPAC straw polls for the most popular potential presidential candidate among conservative activists. A former chair of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele mentioned the decision to not invite the Republican senator to the conference as embarrassing, stupid, and juvenile. Other Republican Senator from Utah, Mike Lee tweeted in support to Romney following Schlapp’s tweet. Lee said, “Mitt Romney is a good friend and an excellent Senator. We have disagreed about a lot in this trial. But he has my respect for the thoughtfulness, integrity, and guts he has shown throughout this process”.