Her spokesman confirmed Monday that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer flew to Florida more than four weeks ago. The formal announcement raises glaring questions over why Whitmer has been criticizing Florida’s handling of the pandemic and urging Michiganders to not leave the state she has kept in one of the tightest lockdowns in the nation.
“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,” said Bobby Leddy, Whitmer’s press secretary. “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.”
Breitbart News reported last week that a top Whitmer aide traveled to Florida for spring break and posted several pictures. Tricia L. Foster, appointed by Whitmer as the Michigan chief operations officer, documented her trip comprehensively on Facebook.