Michigan Gov. Whitmer claims husband's reported boat request was ‘a failed attempt at humor'

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer acknowledged Tuesday that her husband dropped her name while requesting to get their boat in the water ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, though claimed her husband’s comments were a “failed attempt at humor.”

Whitmer’s comments came after her office initially pushed back against the story, saying they’re “not going to make it a practice of addressing every rumor that is spread online.” A Michigan GOP state senator also said her office had originally "adamantly denied" the claim that Whitmer's husband tried to use her position to convince a dock company to quickly get the family's boat on the water amid the coronavirus lockdowns.

However, during a press conference, Whitmer essentially confirmed the reported conversation happened, even though she claimed the comments were made in jest.

“My husband made a failed attempt at humor last week when checking in with a small business that helps with our boat and dock up north," Whitmer said at a press conference Tuesday. “Knowing it wouldn’t make a difference, he jokingly asked if being married to me might move him up in the queue. Obviously with the motorized boating prohibition in our early days of COVID-19, he thought it might get a laugh. It didn’t.”

Whitmer further sought to distance herself from her husband's remarks: “To be honest, I wasn’t laughing either when it was relayed to me. Because I knew how it would be perceived. He regrets it. I wish it wouldn’t have happened. And that’s really all we have to say about it," she continued.

Whitmer, who recently confirmed she's been in talks with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden campaign about being chosen as his running mate, famously imposed one of the strictest lockdowns in the country, sparking frequent protests. What's more, she's told people not living in Northern Michigan, the only region in the state where the lockdown has been lifted, to stay away from vacation spots there during the holiday weekend.

But in Facebook posts by NorthShore Dock LLC, its owner, Tad Dowker, described a request from Whitmer’s husband, Marc Mallory.

"This morning, I was out working when the office called me, there was a gentleman on hold who wanted his boat in the water before the weekend," Dowker posted, The Detroit News reported. "Being Memorial weekend and the fact that we started working three weeks late means there is no chance this is going to happen."

He continued, "Our office personnel had explained this to the man and he replied, 'I am the husband to the governor, will this make a difference?'" The docking company later noted that Mallory respectfully accepted that the accommodation would not be possible.

Whitmer spokeswoman Tiffany Brown refused to comment on the matter on Monday, saying the administration wouldn't address "every rumor that is spread online."

She said in a statement: “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. There’s been a lot of wild misinformation spreading online attacking the governor and her family, a... (Read more)

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