WAS THAT ESSENTIAL?

Michigan Gov. Whitmer Admits Taking ‘Very Brief’ Out-of-State Trip to Visit Her Dad

Gretchen Whitmer, who urged residents not to travel, responded to accusations of hypocrisy by saying the trip was taken before her state’s COVID-19 case numbers resurged.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has owned up to taking an out-of-state trip over a month ago to visit her elderly father after two of her administration officials were criticized for taking spring-break vacations. Whitmer’s administration recommends against travel unless it’s unavoidable, and she’s personally urged residents to forgo travel plans throughout the pandemic. Whitmer’s spokeswoman responded to accusations of hypocrisy from Republicans by saying the trip was very short, and before Michigan’s COVID-19 case numbers resurged to among the nation’s highest. “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,” said Whitmer’s spokeswoman Tiffany Brown.