CBS’ Margaret Brennan saw that Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel was reluctant to talk about the fact that the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has banished her uncle, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), from their festivities this year.
CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp announced last week on Twitter that Senator Romney is banned from his conference after voting in favor of witness testimony at President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Romney’s banishment comes after he previously appeared at CPAC multiple times over the years, and Trump will be giving the keynote speech this year.
In an interview on Face The Nation, Brennan asked McDaniel if she thinks this is “proper political retaliation” and if she was “comfortable” with that. McDaniel deflected in order to wax on about how Trump has “strengthened” the Republican Party, and she insisted she hasn’t seen CPAC’s announcement.
“Well, that’s the grassroots part of our party and they’re upset,” McDaniel shrugged. “They are upset when people aren’t supporting the president and supporting our party and they think if you’re not supporting him, you’re helping a Democrat get elected.”
McDaniel continued to praise Trump while avoiding the core of Brennan’s questions, so the CBS host concluded by noting that “you don’t want to comment on your comfort and your uncle and the comments about him.”
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