CPAC speaker remarks on GOP silence on Trump's sexual harassment allegations
A speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference drew the ire of audience members on Saturday when she expressed disappointment that “people on out side” have been silent about allegations of sexual harassment lodged against President Donald Trump and other Republicans.
Booed and heckled by the crowd, Mona Charen, reportedly had to be escorted out by security for her own safety following the event.
Charen, a veteran conservative political analyst and writer, was on a panel discussing feminism when she said she was “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.”
Charen added: “And because he happens to have an ‘R’ after his name, we look the other way, we don’t complain.”
Although she did not explicitly name the president, Trump talked about grabbing women by their genitals in a 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape that surfaced late in the 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump also has been accused by at least 21 women of sexual harassment and misconduct. He has denied the allegations.
RELATED: Politicians, lawmakers accused of sexual harassment, assault and misconduct
Mona Charen bravely discusses the hypocrisy against women in the WH at #ustoo panel during @CPAC
She specifically mentions the Roy Moore endorsement. Audience boos.
pic.twitter.com/rrG5fmEAmq— 🕊Scout (@about_scout) February 24, 2018
Charen, who was a speechwriter for former First Lady Nancy Reagan, went on to criticize the Republican Party for supporting Alabama U.S. Senate hopeful Roy Moore “even though he was a credibly accused child molester.”
“You cannot claim that you stand for women and put up with that,” she said.
Her comments prompted boos and jeering from the audience. “Prove it!” shouted one audience member. “It was a witch hunt!” yelled another.
In an upset, Moore ended up losing the December special Senate election to Democrat Doug Jones
A Newsweek reporter at CPAC said Charen’s words were the most critical of Trump that he’d heard since the annual gathering began on Thursday. A straw poll of attendees showed a 93 percent approval rating for the president.
Whoa, Mona Charen just called out President Trump on his alleged sexual misconduct from the CPAC floor. By far the strongest criticism of the President I've heard here.
— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) February 24, 2018
First serious booing I've heard here in four days. https://t.co/ZJ4HEBzoPT
— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) February 24, 2018
I cannot emphasize how surprising Charen's criticism was, and how upset many of the conservatives in the audience seemed. There seemed to be indignation that she would think to mention him as a potential harasser. https://t.co/ZJ4HEBzoPT
— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) February 24, 2018
Charen was also loudly booed for criticizing CPAC for inviting French far-right politician Marion Le Pen to speak at the event.
Mona Charen at CPAC torches Marion Le Pen: "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."
CROWD: BOOOOOOOOOOOOO
CHAREN: "The fact that CPAC invited her is a disgrace."— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) February 24, 2018
Following the panel discussion, Charen had to be escorted out of the event by three security guards for her own safety, according to a Politico reporter.
Mona Charen, who stunned #CPAC by rebuking conservatives for excusing the behavior of Donald Trump and Roy Moore, was just escorted outside by 3 security guards after her speech. More in @POLITICOMag story later.
— Tim Alberta (@TimAlberta) February 24, 2018
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
