Conservative Leaders Plan Two Secret Meetings Aimed at Picking a 2016 Candidate

Behind closed doors, a discreet group of right-wing vote-brokers will audition contenders and choose one it thinks can beat the GOP establishment favorite.

Disclosure: I am a longtime member of the Council for National Policy's Gold Circle and Board of Governors. — RDM

by Tim Alberta
National Journal
April 15, 2015

A secretive group that serves as the umbrella operation for leaders and activists within the conservative movement will host two meetings in the coming months, National Journal has learned, the first to vet Republican presidential candidates and the second to discuss coalescing behind one of them.

The Council for National Policy, a shadowy organization of several hundred dues-paying members, typically meets three times a year in various locations around the country. But with the 2016 cycle accelerating, and many conservative leaders intent on rallying behind a single candidate, CNP's leadership is taking extraordinary measures—scheduling two top-priority meetings outside of Washington—and inviting a large number of nonmembers to both.

The group will host a two-day summit on May 15 and 16 at the Ritz-Carlton in Tyson's Corner, Virgin…