About half of House GOP members skip retreat to West Virginia resort

About half of House GOP lawmakers have skipped their retreat at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

The retreat kicked off Wednesday at the resort, which is owned by Gov. Jim Justice, R-W.V., who is running for the Senate seat currently held by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V.

Some lawmakers publicly cited scheduling issues as the reason for not attending. 

Some members, behind the scenes, said they did not like the chosen location while others mentioned House GOP infighting as a reason to skip the event, according to reports.

USA Today reported that Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., described events like policy retreats as “not productive."

The event marks the first retreat since former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted from his post.