Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Embarrasses Herself in Pathetic 'Apology' for Latest COVID Order Violation

In what for many Michiganders will feel like déjà vu, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was caught over the weekend flouting the updated coronavirus rules she put in place for her state’s residents barely a week ago.

A photo obtained by Breitbart News showed Whitmer, a Democrat, at the Landshark Bar and Grill in East Lansing alongside her chief operations officer Tricia Foster and 11 others who were presumably friends of the governor’s, all maskless and sitting in close proximity to one another.

Here’s the photo:

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) hit the bar this weekend and violated her own coronavirus orders, according to a photo Breitbart News has exclusively obtained. https://t.co/7udfIRYfBn

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 23, 2021

Though restaurants are open for business in Michigan, there are still not only capacity limits (50%), but also limits on the number of people who can be seated together and how close they are allowed to get, per Whitmer’s May 15th Gatherings and Face Mask order:

Gatherings are prohibited at food service establishments, whether indoor or outdoor, unless: 1. Consumption of food or beverages is permitted only in a designated dining area where patrons are seated, groups of patrons are separated by at least 6 feet, no more than 6 patrons are seated together (at a table, booth, or group of fixed seats), and groups of patrons do not intermingle;
2. At establishments offering indoor dining: 1. The number of patrons indoors (or in a designated dining area of a multipurpose establishments) does not exceed 50% of normal seating capacity, or 100 persons, whichever is less, provided, however, that this limitation does not apply to soup kitchens and shelters …

After getting caught, Whitmer’s office issued this statement straight from the Governor herself:

“Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been committed to following public health protocols,” Whitmer said Sunday in a 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.”

That’s… just embarrassing, especially coming from a leader who has banged the hammer for over a year now on the “need” for people to follow the rules and guidelines she put in place in what she has repeatedly claimed were efforts at containing the coronavirus outbreak. Would an apology have sufficed for anyone in her state who was fined, publicly shamed, or jailed for disobeying the orders local and/or state officials put in place over the last year? No, it wouldn’t have. Why should it suffice for her?

I should point out Whitmer’s rules violation was on top of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services vacationing in Alabama last month “which came days after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration levied public warnings about out-of-state travel.” Also, Whitmer’s chief operations officer Tricia Foster vacationed in Florida in April.

Whitmer herself went out of state as well in March to visit her sick father in Florida.

Also, I should note that normally not one person would give a rip about Whitmer being out with a dozen friends maskless and not social distancing because getting back to normal is where everyone wants to be at this point. But these are rules she put in place, and once again the Governor has shown that when it comes to the rules, she believes they do not apply to her nor members of her staff or administration.

It’s a familiar sight for those of us who remember some of the other instances of Democrats not practicing what they preach when it comes to COVID rules and recommendations:

The Democrat “rules for thee but not for me” Party pic.twitter.com/WAJZwXncMX

— Nathan Brand (@NathanBrandWA) May 24, 2021

Rumor has it that there will be more changes to the rules coming soon. Maybe the next time around Whitmer will demonstrate that she’s not above them, although I sincerely doubt it – because as we’ve seen time and time again in blue states from California to New York to Michigan, these so-called “leaders” think the rules only apply to the little people, not to the people making them.