Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) missed the funeral for a Michigan State Trooper on Wednesday because she is scheduled to attend a White House meeting with President Joe Biden and Democratic governors.
Bobby Ready, a spokesman for Governor Whitmer, said: Confirmed Governor Whitmer said in an email that she would personally attend the closed-door meeting on Wednesday, meaning that Governor Whitmer has prioritized a crisis meeting with President Biden in Washington, DC, over the funeral of Michigan State Trooper William “Bill” Butler Jr.
Butler, 51, was killed in the line of duty as a result of a shootout with suspect Eric Fidler of Jonesville. according to According to WTVB, “multiple arrest warrants had been issued.”
Butler’s funeral was held at 11 a.m. at Hillsdale College’s Chapel of Christ, with the funeral procession beginning between 12:30 and 1 p.m.
According to the media:
Numerous local law enforcement officers are expected to attend the funeral, with Sheriff John Pollack and Deputy Keith Eichler set to lead a large delegation from the Branch County Sheriff’s Department.
“During my 45 years with the Sheriff’s Office, there have been many times when Branch and Hillsdale County sheriff’s deputies have been called upon to assist one another in times of crisis, and today is no exception. We are making this journey to honor Deputy Butler’s sacrifice and to support the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office,” said Sheriff Pollack.
Whitmer isn’t the only Democrat who appears to prioritize Biden’s reelection above all else: California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) also chose to leave California to “stand by” Biden amid the ongoing wildfire emergency.
The following governors will be visiting the White House today for emergency meetings with President Biden:
Waltz
Newsom
Pritzker
Beshar
Healy
Hoffl
Moore
MackyMany participants, including Shapiro, Cooper and Murphy, joined online.
— Edward Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) July 3, 2024
As Breitbart News reported, “several governors are attending virtually.” It’s unclear why neither Governor Whitmer nor Governor Newsom chose to attend the White House meeting virtually.
This comes after Biden made a surprise appearance on a Democratic National Committee (DNC) conference call on Wednesday where he was reported to have made it clear that he had no plans to withdraw from the race and was in it for the long haul.
One person on the call quoted Biden as saying, “Let me say this as clearly as I can, as simply as I can, as bluntly as I can: I’m running. … Nobody’s trying to get rid of me. I’m not going away. I’m going to fight this race to the end, and we’re going to win.”
President Biden’s remarks during the just-concluded campaign conference call (by call participants):
“I want to say it as clearly as I can, as simply as I can, as frankly as I can: I’m running. No one’s trying to get rid of me. I’m not going away. I’m going to fight this race to the end, and we’re going to win.”
— Elena Schneider (@ec_schneider) July 3, 2024
