KEY POINTS

  • Michigan Gov. Whitmer's husband used her name to get his boat launched despite the strict lockdown
  • "He thought it might get a laugh," Whitmer said, adding she was not amused
  • Whitmer's office initially denied that the incident happened

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was not amused when her husband, Marc Mallory, requested a dock company to have his boat in the water ahead of Memorial Day Weekend amid his wife's lockdown orders.

Mallory apparently name-dropped his wife of nine years and asked if his status as the first gentleman of Michigan would make a difference to his request.

Whitmer's office reportedly brushed off the story as a rumor and denied her husband used the governor's position for a favor. NorthShore Dock LLC's owner Tad Dowker apparently posted the encounter on Facebook, which has since been removed. However, social media users have screenshots of the post.

The governor confirmed the story as she addressed the matter in a press conference Tuesday.

Citing that Mallory made "a failed attempt at humor," Whitmer said she knows how things would be perceived when she got word of what her husband said.

"He thought it might get a laugh," Whitmer said. "It didn't, and to be honest, I wasn't laughing either."

1599px-Michigan_National_Guard_members_participate_in_inauguration,_Adjutant_General_swearing-in_190101-F-VX133-049
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said wasn't laughing when her husband used her position for a favor. Wikimedia Commons

The governor expressed regret for what her husband said and asked her fellow Michiganders to focus on empathy as the state continued to deal with coronavirus. As of May 26, Michigan has 54,365 positive cases and 5,223 deaths.

During this pandemic crisis, Whitmer gained both praises and criticisms for having one of the strictest shelter-in-place orders in the United States. Before Memorial Day Weekend, she told the residents not to visit vacation spots as the lockdown has not been lifted, except in Northern Michigan.

Whitmer is also in talks with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who has been considering her as his running mate.

After she made a statement about her husband, Michigan GOP state Sen. Tom Barrett told Fox News that Whitmer's staff tried to cover-up the story. Barrett shared his opinion about the boat contractor's post on his Facebook account as well.

"They were specifically requesting that my posts be taken down because they were insisting that wasn't true," Barrett told Fox News. "They insisted that it was a fabricated story."

Coronavirus Joe biden