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House oversight chair will send letter asking Whitmer about who paid for travel

Office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

Governor Gretchen Whitmer will get a letter this week asking her to disclose more details about a trip to Florida and the privately owned jet she flew on.

The governor says the trip was to take care of her ailing father. The governor’s staff says she paid for her seat herself. But the cost of the entire plane ride appears to have been for by a not-for-profit fund she controls. And the private jet belongs to a group of wealthy Detroit business people.

Republican Representative Steve Johnson chairs the House Oversight Committee. He says he’ll send a letter with a detailed list of questions.

“If she has nothing to hide, if she did nothing wrong, she should have no problem disclosing this information,” he said. The letter is supposed to be delivered by Thursday.

“Did her security detail travel with her or not – what was the cost to taxpayers of that? Just a number of questions that we’d like answers to,” he said.” That is our first step, and depending on the administrations answers or refusal to answer, the oversight committee will consider hearings after that.”

Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987. His journalism background includes stints with UPI, The Elizabeth (NJ) Daily Journal, The (Pontiac, MI) Oakland Press, and WJR. He is also a lifelong public radio listener.