Editor’s Note:
Read out update: Values Voters Summit: Does Family Research Council Just Fib About Who’s Speaking?
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Tony Perkins today told reporters that Rep. Todd Akin will be speaking at the Values Voters Summit on Friday. Akin is the Congressman who lost support of his Republican party after claiming women’s bodies have ways to “shut down” pregnancies from “legitimate” rapes. Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, a certified anti-gay hate group that is hosting the Values Voters Summit, has been one of Akin’s top supporters since his offensive comments last month.
Read: Human Rights Groups Ask Paul Ryan To Not Attend Hate Group Conference
Curiously claiming the Value Voters Summit has a “waiting list” and the FRC has been forced “to turn away members of Congress” who ant to speak, Perkins said Congressman Akin “will be there participating in one of our events and will be speaking at I believe our political action committee reception Friday afternoon.”
“Todd Akin is a great friend of mine,” Perkins offered, unasked. “I have known him since he arrived in Congress 12 years ago. I supported him in his primary when he was running for the Senate because of his record of being unquestionably strong on the issues of faith, family, and freedom. He is a American patriot, and you look at his family, all of his sons have served the nation in the military and in either the Navy or the Marine Corps, and he and his family are examples of what is good about America.”
It is curious that Perkins claims to have a waiting list, after news broke yesterday that Ann Romney would be speaking, also on Friday, but then the Romney campaign either pulled her out or the Values Voters Summit had not received confirmation Mrs. Romney would appear. The Family Research Council also had listed Mitt Romney as attending — or, at least, as invited — but that he also will not be attending, leaving Paul Ryan as the top-ranking Republican to address the annual conference hosted by several anti-gay hate groups.