Michigan Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer allegedly traveled to Florida last month for a “personal trip” only to later express “concern” about people traveling there for spring break.
“Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s spokesperson confirmed today that the Governor took a ‘personal trip’ out of state about one month ago to visit her father,” Michigan Information & Research Service (MIRS) reported. “While Communications Director Tiffany Brown wouldn’t say where the Democratic governor traveled, a source tells MIRS that Whitmer’s father, Richard Whitmer, has a home in Florida.”
“Her dad was fully vaccinated, and the governor is tested regularly and has never tested positive for COVID,” Brown told MIRS, claiming that no taxpayer resources were used.
“Gretchen Whitmer’s blatant display of hypocrisy is an insult to every single Michigander impacted by her lockdown orders and travel warnings,” Ted Goodman, Communications Director of the Michigan Republican Party, told The Daily Wire. “Not only did Whitmer and her top staffers vacation to Florida, but they tried to keep it a secret because for Whitmer, it’s—rules for thee, but not for me.”
The governor’s office later released a more detailed statement saying that they would not comment on her personal schedule:
The governor did not go on spring break, and she has not left the state in over a month. In the past six months she has left the state three times, once for the inauguration, once to assist her elderly father who is battling a chronic illness, and once to visit with Michigan’s National Guard troops. All trips were very brief, two full days or less, closely followed public health guidelines, and were made when Michigan’s daily positivity rate was in the low single digits. Due to ongoing security concerns, we will not comment further on the governor’s personal schedule.
Shortly after this story was published, Whitmer’s office appeared to change their tune about her whereabouts.
Detroit Free Press reporter Paul Egan wrote: “Gov’s office, which sent the statement extensively quoted in this article after being specifically asked, in writing, about a trip by the Gov to Florida, now says it will not confirm that Florida is where she visited her father.”
“There still needs to be more transparency about where/when the governor travels during a surging pandemic,” reporter Andrew Roth added. “Declining to confirm/trying to walk back basic details of the trip just makes already bad optics worse.”
“Gretchen Whitmer’s hypocrisy flies in the face of every Michigander who has persevered through Whitmer’s disgraceful response to COVID-19,” Chris Gustafson, a spokesperson at the Republican Governors Association, said. “While telling Michiganders not to travel, Whitmer flew down to Florida and proved once again that the rules to her or her family don’t apply. It’s time for Gretchen Whitmer to go.”
“So she can ask Michiganders to make sacrifices she doesn’t intend to make herself?” RGA Communications Director Jesse Hunt said in a statement to The Daily Wire. “She flouted her own guidance because the rules never apply to her.”
In early April, Whitmer expressed concern about people traveling to Florida for spring break because of a variant of the coronavirus that has been spreading there. Whitmer’s comments were made before two of her staffers were then caught going on personal trips outside the state, including one that went to Florida.
Fox News reported:
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel was in Gulf Shores, Alabama, according to the Michigan Information & Research Service. Gulf Shores is a popular resort destination along the Gulf of Mexico. …
Tricia Foster, the governor’s chief operating officer, made headlines earlier in April for vacationing in Florida even though Whitmer said she was “concerned” about travel between states. Foster posted photos to Facebook of herself vacationing in Siesta Key. After Breitbart first reported on the trip, Foster deleted the post.
On Sunday, Whitmer suggested that Florida was part of the reason that coronavirus cases have exploded in her state, saying, “… [T]his is the time in the year that snowbirds come home from Florida, where people are going on spring break, and all of these things can contribute to spread.”
Michigan is currently “in the midst of an alarming surge that is far worse than what any other state is experiencing,” The New York Times reported last week. “The state accounts for more than 10 percent of the country’s daily cases, and is home to 16 of the 17 metro areas with the nation’s worst recent case rates.”
