Following violent clashes at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend, white nationalist Richard Spencer tried to hold a private press conference in Washington, DC, on Monday. But two different hotels in DC canceled on him before the events were scheduled to start.



In the end, Spencer, a leader of the alt-right movement, had to hold the press conference in an apartment he calls an office and part-time residence across the river in Alexandria, Virginia.

Spencer, who was in Charlottesville and participated in the rally, has denied that he was one of the organizers of the events there this weekend. He was, however, prominently displayed on flyers advertising the rally.

Spencer declined to join organizers at a press conference in Charlottesville this weekend, but said he would hold one in DC on Monday. He initially planned to hold a press conference at 3 p.m. at the Sofitel Hotel in downtown DC, just a few blocks from the White House. The location was kept secret and only shared with those who submitted a request to attend. "For everyone’s safety, please do not share this information with any you do not trust," read the email Spencer sent to approved attendees.

But less than two hours before the event was scheduled to begin, Spencer announced that the location had been leaked and that the Sofitel had canceled the event. "Please stand by for an alternate plan," he wrote.

The next plan was to hold the press conference an hour later at the nearby Willard Hotel, a part of the InterContinental chain. But that, too, was leaked online, and the hotel received a barrage of tweets questioning its decision to host Spencer and his cause. A hotel receptionist, reached by BuzzFeed News shortly after, confirmed that the event had been canceled.

Representatives for the hotels did not respond to requests for comment about whether they had canceled the events due to Spencer's white nationalist views.

