'A stunning break': Fox keeping its distance from scandal-shrouded CPAC

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) kicks off this week in Maryland under a cloud of scandal that is hovering over its founder Matt Schlapp and that has Fox keeping its distance when it comes to funding and coverage.

According to a report from the Daily Beast's Justin Baragona, accusations that Schlapp sexually assaulted a male staffer who had been working on Herschel Walker's U.S. Senate campaign is continuing to create fall-out for the annual get-together and, by all appearances, Fox and Fox Nation wants little to do with it.

As Baragona wrote, over the past few years, Fox Nation has provided streaming coverage of the multi-day event where conservative lawmakers make their pitch to activists and contributed funding.

Not so this year.

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"In 2021, for example, Fox Nation paid $250,000 to help underwrite the overtly partisan political gathering. The year before that, the Fox streamer paid $28,000 as a sponsor," the report states. "As of publication, Schlapp and his annual convention have all but disappeared from the Fox News universe. None of Fox News Media’s outlets are listed among CPAC 2023’s list of partnering sponsors, which includes the network’s conservative arch-rival Newsmax as well as far-right competitors like Real America’s Voice."

Calling it a "stunning break," Baragona wrote, "Fox’s biggest stars like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham often delivered headline speeches or hosted panel events, all of which were carried on the network. Outside the ballroom, Fox personalities—both major and minor—could be seen roaming the hallways, often given the hero’s welcome awarded to conservatives lucky enough to have the network on their résumé," and then added, "Fox Nation’s website currently makes no mention of this year’s CPAC. The streamer has not only previously provided round-the-clock coverage of the annual event, but also some of the regional CPAC offshoots, such as in Texas."

The report adds that "the only Fox News personalities slated to appear are contributors like Katie Pavlich and Mollie Hemingway, or talk radio powerhouse Mark Levin—all of whom have conservative media careers outside their Fox affiliations."

On Sunday, former GOP strategist Rick Wilson noted another major absence from CPAC, with Gov. Ron DeSantis skipping the event which Wilson called "Running away like a scalded dog."

You can read more here.