A top aide to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says a private round trip to Florida to see her ailing father was paid from a fund that's used for travel not covered by tax dollars.
The cost was $27,521, with Whitmer personally paying $855.
The non-profit Michigan Transition 2019, d/b/a Executive Office Account, paid the $27,521.00 to charter the flight. The filing was made public on the Sunshine section of the Governor's 2019 transition website.
A lack of publicly disclosed details have dogged Whitmer since the March trip was revealed in April.
In a memo to senior staff, Chief of Staff JoAnne Huls says Whitmer's office "could have done a better job of answering questions about this trip with more clarity." Huls says she's taking responsibility.
The governor left Michigan on March 12 and returned on March 15.
Whitmer has said the trip was taken in accordance with public health guidelines, but some conservative groups are calling for an investigation.
