Whitmer apologizes for violating own order at restaurant gathering

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer apologized after she was caught violating one of her own coronavirus-related orders.

On May 15, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services issued an order disallowing groups of more than six people to be seated together at a restaurant, and each party has to be separated by six feet. However, the governor was caught disregarding that rule on Saturday.

Whitmer was spotted at the Landshark Bar & Grill in East Lansing. A photograph of the group with Whitmer showing tables pushed tougher and no masks being worn was briefly posted on social media. Her chief operating officer, Tricia Foster, was also at the event.

"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,” she added. “I made a mistake, and I apologize."

Ted Goodman, spokesman for the Michigan Republican Party, said, "For Gov. Whitmer, it's rules for thee but not for me," according to the Detroit News.

Whitmer has faced strong criticism from conservatives for her handling of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, in part because this weekend's violation wasn't the first time she has been accused of not following her own policies.

On March 12, Whitmer traveled on a private plane to Florida to visit her ill father, returning to Michigan on March 15, despite guidance against traveling. 

A number of other Democratic politicians, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, have also been caught violating the coronavirus restrictions.