LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer apologized Sunday after apparently violating state-mandated social distancing guidelines at an East Lansing bar.
It was the latest in a series of pandemics missteps for Whitmer, who waited weeks to disclose partial details of a private jet trip she took to visit her father in Florida after two of her top aides headed south during a coronavirus surge in Michigan, while other Michiganders were being cautioned about traveling south for spring break.
A photo was widely circulated on social media of Whitmer with a large group of unmasked people at an East Lansing bar-restaurant, The Landshark Bar & Grill.
“Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been committed to following public health protocols,” Whitmer said in a Sunday statement.
“Yesterday, I went with friends to a local restaurant. As more people arrived, the tables were pushed together. Because we were all vaccinated, we didn’t stop to think about it. In retrospect, I should have thought about it. I am human. I made a mistake, and I apologize.”
The photo, which shows Whitmer seated with about a dozen people at no fewer than three tables that had been pushed together, was posted on social media by one of the attendees, but later deleted.
BUSTED: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) hit the bar this weekend and violated her own coronavirus orders, according to an exclusively obtained photo. https://t.co/nmnd2N4nwu
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 24, 2021
Michigan restaurants and bars are still subject to capacity limits and social distancing requirements.
Current orders require six people or fewer at tables and distances of six feet between tables.
Whitmer received her second vaccination dose April 29, meaning she is considered fully vaccinated.
Tori Sachs, executive director of the Michigan Freedom Fund, in a post on Twitter accused Whitmer of hypocrisy.
“Capacity limits, patrons per table limits, curfews & other ridiculous restrictions need to end immediately,” Sachs said. “She isn’t even abiding by those rules.
“A year after the boat episode & Whitmer and those around her still don’t think their Covid rules apply to them.”
Criticisms directed at Whitmer over whether she was observing the same pandemic rules others were subjected to began in May 2020, when Whitmer’s husband asked whether his status as Michigan’s First Gentleman could help him jump the line to get his boat in the water ahead of Memorial Day weekend. That followed a temporary ban on the use of motorized watercraft.
Whitmer said her husband, Marc Mallory, made a failed attempt at humor when he made the request of a boat contractor.
“He thought it might get a laugh,” Whitmer said.
“It didn’t, and to be honest I wasn’t laughing either when it was relayed to me because I knew how it would be perceived.”
Paul Egan
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Whitmer apologizes after violating social distancing rules at East Lansing bar
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To paraphrase the late Leona Helmsley “We don’t obey Covid rules. Only the little people obey Covid rules. “
SHE only is sorry SHE GOT CAUGHT.. Not that she did this crime.
Michigan needs to follow Pennsylvania and vote to curtail the powers of any governor from now on. Never again must they have the dictatorial powers that they just took upon themselves for the “commoners” but not for themselves. Never again. This needs to be done in every Democrat run State and City. These corrupt politicians are drunk on power and consider themselves Political Supremacists!
better yet, VOTE HER OUT OF OFFICE< Then make that law to curtail Future governors power.
Whitmer motto: Rules are for thee but not for me.
Since is is impossible to say anything nice about governor Whitmer, I will refrain from saying what a hypocritic terrible governor she is.
Agree MAG911, you took the words out of my mouth. I would like to add this phrase that I heard many years ago, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, be vicious.”
If i had my way, ALL COMMUCRAT hypocrites like her, would have those masks made of IRON AND SUPERGLUED to their faces…
Michigan’s radical leftist Governor Whitmer, who is scheduled to receive the JFK Foundation’s Profiles in Courage Award, has violated her own COVID pandemic restrictions so many times that I propose we create a new award to honor dishonest politicians like her who consistently live by a double-standard. Along with California Governor Newsome and New York Governor Cuomo, I nominate Governor Whitmer to receive the first ever Profiles in Hypocrisy Award.
Even better would be a Pee-Pee award for Putrid Politicians.
Newsome and Cuomo should also get those awards.
Oh my Governor Whitmer, you are such a beautiful hypocrite. You preach to all of us and restrict our lives due to covid and then you do not practice what you preach. You obviously do not “follow the science” for those of us who are not elitists like you. I have a new name for you Governor. Your new name is Governor Stalin Whitmer of the Central Committee of the Communist Party in my state of Michigan.
Furher Witchmer.
“Beautiful” is not a word I would use to describe Wretched Gretchen wHitler, der furher.
Otherwise, you’re spot on.
she is a parasite!
These people don’t apologize—they babble and explain away. It’s all part of political privilege.
Silly proles, Don’t you understand that your commie “leaders” get all the privilege?
The headline should read that once again she proves what kind of hypocrite she is.
Hypocrite schmipocrite. What we have in Michigan is what happens when voters elect a governor that has no leadership skills. Currently, in my opinion, Michigan is a leaderless state. In the 2018 primaries Whitmer was the lessor of three evils. Too bad the Republicans didn’t have a decent candidate, because Bill Schuette was no bargain either.
As long as the voters who work for a living are outnumbered by the freeloaders that vote for a living, she will be reelected next year. All you have to do is look up the election results from the 2018 election and see where she got most of her votes. Welfare checks and food stamps will keep her in office. She will just keep thumbing her do-as-I-say-and-not-as-I-do nose at all of us.
I can’t help but wonder how many of the Michigan malcontents voted for Whitmer. Those who voted for her in 2018 deserve what they are getting now and have no room to complain. Perhaps they will do a little more homework and properly research the candidates and issues by November 2022. But then that four letter word “WORK” comes in.
WHICH IS why for a long time, i’ve felt NO ONE who’s been on welfare for 2+ years, should be allowed to vote.. THEY ARE wards of the state.