‘Land of misfit toys’: Former GOP lawmaker drops the hammer on CPAC ‘freak show’ after ‘reprehensible’ Trump appearance

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Appearing on CNN’s “New Day,” former Republican congressman Charlie Dent (R-PA) hammered the annual CPAC gathering that took place in Texas this past weekend, bluntly calling the confab a “freak show” that is not representative of mainstream conservatism.

Speaking with hosts John Berman and Brianna Keilar, Dent said he was both appalled and despondent at what he witnessed while noting that when he was still serving in the House, he refused to attend and be tainted by the extremism he saw there.

After watching a clip of a CPAC panel disparaging efforts to get Americans vaccinated against COVID-19, the former lawmaker went off — while also questioning the straw poll taken at the get-together that anointed Donald Trump as the attendee’s preference in the 2024 presidential election. Continue reading.