Former Vice President Mike Pence has turned down an invitation to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Pence is reportedly trying to avoid being in the media’s spotlight for at least six months, according to an unidentified source.
Since President Biden took office, Pence has held a relatively low-key public presence, announcing he will join the Heritage Foundation as a distinguished visiting fellow. He also opened the “Office of the Former Vice President” earlier this month, which will handle scheduling requests and other orders of business for both Pence and his wife, Karen.
Pence skipping the annual conference comes after he split with former President Donald Trump on certifying Biden’s Electoral College victory.
PENCE DEFIES TRUMP, SAYING HE HAS NO ‘UNILATERAL AUTHORITY’ TO REJECT ELECTORAL VOTES
“It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not,” Pence said in January.
Trump said Pence “didn’t have the courage” in response to the move.
CPAC Executive Director Dan Schneider said it was a “mistake” for Pence not to speak at the conference, as he has spoken there more than a dozen times before.
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“We are pleased that the president will be joining us, and we’re disappointed the vice president’s not coming. We think it’s a mistake for him not to come. We conservatives think of Vice President Pence with great honor and dignity. He is a real champion of conservatism,” Schneider said during a Sunday evening MSNBC interview.
In addition to the former president, the conference this week will also host former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell.
