Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) is responding to criticism around reports that her husband tried to used her official position to get their boat in the water in time for Memorial Day.
The owner of NorthShore Dock LLC alleged on Facebook that Whitmer’s husband Marc Mallory tried to speed up the process of getting his boat in the water by noting that his wife is the governor, according to The Detroit News.
But during her press conference on Tuesday, Whitmer responded to the criticism, “My husband made a failed attempt at humor last week when checking in with the small business that helps with our boat and dock up north.”
She continued, “Knowing it wouldn’t make a difference, he jokingly asked if being married to me might move him up in the queue.”
“He thought it might get a laugh. It didn’t, and to be honest, I wasn’t laughing either when it was relayed to me,” Whitmer added.
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Governor Whitmer provides update on state’s response to COVID-19 https://t.co/YkhQgUyIcN
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Whitmer also said Mallory “regrets” his comments. She said, “I wish it wouldn’t have happened. That’s really all we have to say about it.”
She also decried the “rampant rumors” and “violent death threats” she said her family has experienced throughout the coronavirus outbreak.
“Now I’m not going to be bullied into ignoring the science and making political calculations,” Whitmer said.
Tad Dowker, the owner of NorthShore, posted on Facebook that Mallory called Memorial Day weekend to see if he could get his boat in the water. He wrote, “Being Memorial weekend and the fact that we started working three weeks late means there is no chance this is going to happen.”
“Well our office personnel had explained this to the man, and he replied, ‘I am the husband to the governor, will this make a difference?'” Dowker added.
A spokesperson for Whitmer initially responded to reporting on Dowker’s post, “Our practice is not to discuss the governor’s or her family’s personal calendar/schedules. And we’re not going to make it a practice of addressing every rumor that is spread online,”