The Conservative Political Action Conference, an annual conclave of the American right, is underway just outside Washington. President Donald Trump will deliver a speech there on Friday, while Vice President Mike Pence opened proceedings Thursday with a paean to his boss’s first year in office, a recitation of his Christian bona fides and a Republican rallying cry ahead of pivotal midterm elections this year.
But it has not gone off without controversy. Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, the youthful niece of French far-right heavyweight Marine Le Pen, also addressed the gathering Thursday. Her appearance dismayed some establishment Republicans, who were not eager to associate with a political faction linked to the dark remnants of European fascism.