Despite FAA Decision, Whitmer’s Florida Scandal Not Going Away Despite FAA Decision, Whitmer's Florida Scandal Not Going Away - Michigan Rising Action

Despite FAA Decision, Whitmer’s Florida Scandal Not Going Away

Despite FAA Decision, Whitmer’s Florida Scandal Not Going Away

August 16, 2021

Lansing, Mich., August 16, 2021 – Today, the FAA indicated that the private charter flight company that flew Governor Gretchen Whitmer on her private flight to and from Florida, would not be facing any further consequences for the illegally chartered flight. The Detroit Free Press reports:

“A Detroit aviation company that flew Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to Florida violated federal air charter regulations but will not face any penalties, Federal Aviation Administration officials said following an investigation.

‘The FAA investigated and made clear to the operator what the rules are for chartered flights,’ the agency said in an email to the Free Press. ‘The operator took steps so a similar situation won’t occur in the future.’”

Whitmer’s flight saga has taken many twists and turns over the past year. Whitmer initially had the flight paid for by a non-profit, but after facing an IRS complaint from Michigan Rising Action, and an FAA investigation, Whitmer changed her story to say that her campaign would now be paying for the flight.

Whitmer’s decision to violate campaign finance law and list the flight as a campaign expense was a calculated move, avoiding two federal investigations and instead facing her political ally, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, with a campaign finance violation. The Bureau of Elections is currently reviewing the complaint.

“The FAA’s decision today was correct, and the operators should not be penalized after Governor Whitmer was caught and made an about face on her explanation for her secret trip,” said Eric Ventimiglia, executive director for Michigan Rising Action. Ventimiglia continued, “Whitmer’s attempt to avoid accountability by making political ally Jocelyn Benson the judge and jury in her Florida scandal is as low as it gets in politics, but the hardworking people of Michigan expect her to be held to the same laws as they are.”

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