Democrat Gov Whitmer Caught Making False Statements about Travels
Michigan governor accused about lying about visit to Florida during pandemic
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Michigan's Democrat governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has been accused of making false statements about her travels during the pandemic after it emerged that she broke her own rules to visit her father in Florida.
Whitmer has defended her trip following accusations of hypocrisy, saying: "It is saddening. It is a two-day trip. I wasn't partying in Miami."
Despite cautioning Michigan residents against traveling out of state, the governor said the trip was to "check-in" on her father who is suffering from chronic illness: "It was certainly not spring break."
However, during a podcast interview last week, Whitmer lied about not traveling out of state, saying she was "here in town the whole time."
Whitmer made the false claims during an appearance on the podcast by Michigan publication MIRS on April 12, a week before news broke that she had traveled to Florida in March.
She was asked by reporter Kyle Melinn if she was able to take any days off for spring break or over the past year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Fox News blasted Whitmer over her remarks, saying she has “lied” about her travels.
Whitmer had the following interaction with Melinn roughly 25 minutes into the podcast [Emphasis added]:
MELINN: All right, so this was spring break, so I was able to get a few days off. Were you able to get a few days off? Have you had any days off for the last year? That’s the question I want to know, it seems like you’ve been on for an entire year.
WHITMER: Yeah, like most people on my team, we’ve been working 14 months without much of a break. Um, my, my daughter had spring break. Um, I didn’t do much of anything, you saw me, I was here in town the whole time, but, um, you know, it’s, the weather’s getting nicer, so I’m moving some of my zoom calls outside, that’s the most exciting, ah, development. [nervous laughter]
MELINN: If you could’ve gone anywhere for spring break, where would you have gone?
WHITMER: Oh gosh, I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. I, you know I, my last, my first big trip as governor, ah, and the last trip I’ve taken was to Israel.
News broke last week that Whitmer traveled to Florida, supposedly to visit her father.
Her office seemed to confirm a report from MIRS News that she had traveled to Florida before later walking it back and saying that they were not going to comment on where she went.
However, Whitmer’s office confirmed the news the following day, and Whitmer apparently sought to downplay her travels by saying it was only a “two-day trip” and she “wasn’t partying in Miami.”
“The issue is not that Gov. Whitmer visited her father, it’s that she lied about it and continues to hide key facts,” said Ted Goodman, Communications Director of the Michigan Republican Party.
“It’s also hypocritical as Michiganders were denied the same opportunity through her rules that locked people from visiting their loved ones in hospitals and nursing homes.”
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Two of Whitmer’s aides were also caught traveling outside of the state in recent days despite Whitmer expressing concerns about travel.
“Whitmer’s chief executive officer, Tricia Foster, was confirmed to have traveled to Florida with her daughter during spring break, during a time when the administration was advising against spring break travel to that state,” WILX reported.
“Director of the Department of Health and Human Services Elizabeth Hertel also recently traveled with her family to the Gulf Coast of Alabama, as cases in Michigan were on the rise.”
