Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Executive Director Dan Schneiderbelieves it is a ā€œmistakeā€ for former Vice President Mike Pence reportedly not to attend the annual conservative gathering.

MSNBC host Joshua Johnson asked if former President Donald Trump asked to be a part of CPAC or if he was invited.

During the Sunday evening interview, Schneider said, ā€œWe sent out invitations toĀ some of our intended speakers very earlyĀ on, actually when he was still president before theĀ election, as we did the sameĀ thing with Vice President Pence.ā€

ā€œWe are pleased the president will be joining us, and we’re disappointed the vice president’s not coming,ā€ he continued. ā€œWe think it’s a mistake for him not to come.ā€

Additionally, Schneider said of Pence, ā€œHe is a real champion for conservatism.ā€

ā€œHe’s spoken at CPAC 13, 14 times over the years, and I know if he were to come to CPAC, he would be treated very warmly with great respect, and frankly, I really hope that he reconsiders, and if he wants to come, we’ll make room for him.ā€

Schneider also defended CPAC’s decision to have Trump speak at the upcoming gathering:

Reports indicated Trump plans to speak at the gathering on Feb. 28.

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ā€œHe’ll be talking about the future of the Republican Party and the conservative movement. Also look for the 45th President to take on President (Joe) Biden’s disastrous amnesty and border policies,ā€ a source told Reuters.

CPAC will be held Feb. 25-28 in Orlando, Florida.