NeverTrumper National Review columnist Mona Charen received boos and jeers amidst a smattering of applause on the main stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) after suggesting the conservative firebrand Marion Marechal-Le Pen should not have been invited to the event.
Charen — who signed the “Never Trump” edition of National Review in early 2016 — was also blasted by the audience for attacking former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore who was the subject of a number of sexual harassment allegations during his run for office.
She said on Saturday morning: “The only reason she was here is she’s named Le Pen. And the Le Pen name is a disgrace. Her grandfather is a racist and nazi. She claims she stands for him.”
The crowd then audibly booed, after which Charen added: “The fact that CPAC invited her is a disgrace.”
Ms. Marechal-Le Pen — an audience favourite at CPAC this year, whose attendance Breitbart London editor Raheem Kassam helped secure — spoke on Friday morning about her social conservatism, opposition to the European Union, and her refusal to accept the Islamisation of France.
A source close to Ms. Le Pen told Breitbart London exclusively: “I trust more the CPAC crowd’s reaction than someone who uses a man born in 1928 to criticise a 28-year-old woman”.
The American Conservative Union, which hosts CPAC, told Breitbart London: “Marion has expressed her support for life, for private property rights, and for individual liberty. She also supports French sovereignty instead of submission to European Union domination, just like we support American sovereignty rather over bowing to the United Nations.
“It seems that Charen has unfortunately chosen to hold a 28-year old granddaughter accountable for the views of her grandfather. Blaming one person for the thoughts and deeds of another is antithetical to conservatism. It is also wrong.”
Politico’s Tim Alberta reported Ms. Charen had to be escorted out by security guards for her own safety following the event.
During her CPAC speech, the NRO columnist lashed out at the White House, stating: “I’m actually going to twist this around a bit and say that I’m disappointed in people on our side for being hypocrites about sexual harassers and abusers of women who are in our party, who are sitting in the White House, who brag about their extramarital affairs, who brag about mistreating women”.
She also claimed: “[The Republican Party] was a party that was ready to… endorse Roy Moore for Senate in the state of Alabama even though he was a credibly accused child molester… You cannot claim that you stand for women, and put up with that”.
Several audience members of the audience shouted, “Not true!” at this moment.
In January 2016, Charen wrote of candidate Donald Trump: “Trump has made a career out of egotism, while conservatism implies a certain modesty about government. The two cannot mix.”
Raheem Kassam is the editor in chief of Breitbart London. Oliver Lane is Deputy Editor of Breitbart London.
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