Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) on Friday sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) requesting he support the South Carolina House delegation’s push for a U.S.-Europe security conference in 2027 to be hosted in Charleston, escalating a feud with Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) over the meeting’s location.
Wilson and Wicker chair and co-chair the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which represents the U.S. branch of the multinational Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Wilson has been pushing for the OSCE conference in Charleston for more than two years, and claims he was taken aback by Wicker’s suggestion it be held elsewhere.
In his letter to Johnson, Wilson argued “Charleston was selected because it offers an exceptional venue, world-class dining and hospitality, and a rich history” to host the Europe Parliamentary Assembly. Joining Wilson with their signatures were Republican Reps. Nancy Mace, Sheri Biggs, William Timmons, Ralph Norman, and Russell Fry, as well as Democratic Rep. James Clyburn.
Wilson has told multiple outlets that Wicker had originally backed his pitch for Charleston to be the host city. Wilson also told Johnson that Wicker is pushing for the conference to be hosted in Belgrade, Serbia, calling it “deeply disappointing” that a U.S. senator would advocate a location abroad.
“Hosting the Annual session in the United States would send an unmistakable message of American leadership and reaffirm our nation’s enduring commitment to transatlantic security, democracy, human rights, and the rules-based international order,” Wilson wrote.
According to previous interviews, Wilson said he was not expecting Wicker to announce that the United States would not host this year’s OSCE meeting, which in turn gave way for Serbia to swoop in and volunteer to host.
Wicker’s change in location announcement then sent the once close pair into a text message fight, according to Semafor, which led Wicker to leave Wilson stranded in the Netherlands, where they were attending this year’s OSCE session.
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Wilson told the outlet that Wicker claimed the reason for stepping away from hosting the 2027 session in Charleston was due to the town’s lack of “sufficient catering,” a seemingly unfair accusation as the city is known for award-winning dining.
A group of lawmakers, including Wilson and Wicker, had sent a letter to the Senate and House appropriations committees to request $4 million in supplemental spending in 2027 to finance hosting the event in Charleston. Wilson said Wicker later told him there wasn’t sufficient funding to host the event in the coastal town, prompting Wilson to volunteer to raise the money himself.