OXON HILL, Md. – Organizers behind the Conservative Political Action Conference removed alt-right leader Richard Spencer from their annual gathering on Thursday, telling the Washington Examiner “his views are repugnant.”
“The truth behind this thing is that folks like to run around and say I’ve been banned. They won’t let me in and I’m too hot for CPAC. The fact of the matter is we’re not in the business of banning anyone. Anyone can go buy a ticket,” said Ian Walters, director of communications for the American Conservative Union.
But Spencer, a celebrity in neo-Nazi circles and heads the prominent alt-right National Policy Institute, proved to be the exception.
“He is not welcome here,” Walters told the Examiner minutes before asking Spencer to leave here. “He would like the word to believe that somehow he’s part of the conservative movement. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Spencer was removed from CPAC less than three hours into the conference on Thursday, after interacting with reporters and conference-goers around the venue. Walters said the ACU will attempt to refund Spencer for his general admission ticket, which he paid for in cash.
