Conservatives paid tribute to Breitbart News founder Andrew Breitbart on the 12th anniversary of his untimely death at just 43 years old.
Rick Grenell, who served as acting director of national intelligence in the Trump administration, paid tribute to Breitbart in a post on Friday morning. Grenell once received a phone call from Breitbart saying that if the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) did not allow Log Cabin Republicans, a gay conservative advocacy group, to participate, he said, “I and the Republican Party will participate.” “I will not allow this,” he said. [Breitbart News] They were boycotting CPAC. ”
I’ll never forget that day @AndrewBreitbart He called me and said if CPAC wouldn’t allow Log Cabin Republicans to participate, he wouldn’t allow him and him to participate. @BreitbartNews They were boycotting CPAC.
It was a game-changer for gay conservatives.
He never wavered.And today, I am a CPAC board member… https://t.co/civYrGNwl8
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) February 29, 2024
“This was a game-changer for gay conservatives,” wrote Grenell, a gay man who has championed gay conservatives throughout his career. “He never wavered.”
Grenell noted that he is now a CPAC board member, adding, “Andrew would be very proud.”
Grenell was part of Breitbart News’ 2022 10th anniversary tribute to the company’s founder. In his remarks, Grenell said Breitbart will be a “pivotal figure” in the future history books on gay rights in the United States and the Republican Party.
“He was someone who, when the history books were written about the history of gay rights in America, Andrew Breitbart, who was straight, was going to be a pivotal figure in the Republican Party,” Grenell said. . “He took a firm stand against conservatives who tried to eliminate gay conservatives. He was against cancel culture even before we knew it was cancel culture.” He was a true visionary and a friend of mine who will be forever missed by the conservative movement and by America.”
The two have known each other for nearly 20 years, first meeting in 1995, “if you can believe it,” Grenell said jokingly.
“He was a young staffer working for a conservative named Arianna Huffington at the time, and I was working on Capitol Hill,” Grenell said. “We had a lot of friends in common, people you’ve probably heard of like Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, David Bullock. At the time, all these people, including Ariana, A conservative, Andrew was a thinker.”
“He was someone who gave great advice and did research and was really on the cutting edge,” he added. “And I remember being very impressed with Andrew, even though he was still a young staffer. As the years passed, Andrew Breitbart became a phenomenon. Within the conservative community. , people recognize that he had great vision.”
12 Years: Every year on this day, we honor and celebrate the lives of others. @AndrewBreitbart.
Andrew “inspired a new generation of American leaders in all walks of life who, knowingly or unknowingly, are following in his footsteps.”@Marco Rubio pic.twitter.com/85dwq7GKHo
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) March 1, 2024
His tribute was retweeted from a post by show host Larry O’Connor. oconnor tonight The Breitbart News alum then praised Breitbart in a touching tweet, recalling her last experience with Breitbart on February 29, 2012.
Twelve years ago today, February 29, 2012, a friend and colleague of mine showed up at work. @BreitbartNews It’s in west LA. We never thought it would be the last day we would see our friend Andrew alive.@Ben Shapiro was there. (I think he and I argued about which was better… pic.twitter.com/0Obi7NYn6c
— Larry (@LarryOConnor) February 29, 2024
“Little did we know, that was Andrew’s last day there,” O’Connor wrote. “I think about him literally every day, but especially today. Breakthrough day. The last day he was physically with us.”
Last week, O’Connor participated in a CPAC panel discussion hosted by Breitbart News Washington bureau chief Matthew Boyle, where he paid tribute to Breitbart. Boyle emphasized that “Andrew Breitbart was a giant.”
Robert Davey, film director My son Hunter, In an X Friday post, Breitbart wrote that it was “a force of nature.”
I loved Andrew Breitbart – he was a force of nature – he said
I met him on the USS Ronald Reagan in 2002, long before his plans. And when I started Breitbart, he asked me to blog without any restrictions. Write what you like! https://t.co/yOUv1ltShM— Robert Davi (@RobertJohnDavi) March 1, 2024
Davey also contributed to Breitbart News’ 10th anniversary tribute to the conservative giant. He called Breitbart “today’s Patrick Henry.”
Conservative commentator Stephen Crowder, host of the podcast “Louder with Crowder,” also paid tribute to Breitbart on Friday.
“I love to fight for what I believe in. I love to have fun while doing it.” – Andrew Breitbart
Rest in peace Andrew. https://t.co/aZKqrSB9ni
— Steven Crowder (@scrowder) March 1, 2024
“‘I love to fight for what I believe in. I love to have fun while doing it.’ – Andrew Breitbart,” Crowder wrote. “Rest in peace, Andrew.”
“To know him was to love him,” Crowder said in a 2022 Breitbart News eulogy.
Radio host Dana Roesch is also a Breitbart News alum. dana shawpublished an article on her Substack last year paying tribute to Breitbart. dubbed He is “my most loyal friend in politics.”
Remembering Andrew Breitbart 12 years laterhttps://t.co/txZHxgrSZU pic.twitter.com/4yOjDQnCSZ
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 1, 2024
Loesch said on Friday’s radio show. called Breitbart was a “visionary man,” he said, “and I think a lot of the reason we have the digital environment we have today is because of his vision.”
San Francisco Republican Party Chairman John Dennis, who has faced off against Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) many times, tweeted Thursday that he met Breitbart in 2010, but that “humanly speaking, I can’t relate to him.” It was the same,” he wrote. on the screen. “
I met Andrew at the CAGOP convention in Indian Wells in the fall of 2009.
It was my first time facing Pelosi. We talked for about 20 minutes.
He was someone who could come up with ideas quickly. Just like he looked on screen.
I was glad that I had the opportunity to tell him that I like his fighting style.
— John Dennis (@RealJohnDennis) February 29, 2024
“I met Andrew at the Fall 2009 CAGOP convention in Indian Wells. It was my first time playing against Pelosi. We talked for about 20 minutes,” he wrote. “He was someone who could come up with ideas quickly, just as I saw him on screen. I was glad that I had the opportunity to tell him that I liked the way he fought.”
Former Congressional candidate and Spectator reporter Matthew Foldy on Thursday called O’Connor’s post a “beautiful tribute” and described the shock he felt upon learning of Breitbart’s death as a high school student.
That’s a nice compliment. I remember when I found out I was going to a high school debate, my debate partners came running up to me on the bus and told me Breitbart was dead. I thought it was a prank 😞
a person who has an influence on many people
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) February 29, 2024
“I remember when I found out I was going to a high school debate, my debate partners came running up to me on the bus and told me Breitbart was dead. I thought it was a prank,” Foldi wrote. “A person who has an influence on many people.”
In addition to these tributes from prominent conservatives, there has been an avalanche of tributes to Breitbart from Americans and grassroots conservatives across the country.
