The Daily Wire reported that the official residence of Michigan’s Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer in Lansing will soon be adorned with an eight-foot electrical fence surrounding the perimeter. The fence and the security upgrades are rumored to cost around $1.1 million.
The Washington Free Beacon noted: “Whitmer, a Biden surrogate, has attacked the idea of using barriers to prevent illegal immigration. She called President Donald Trump’s border wall ‘costly and ineffective’ in February 2017, nearly a week after suggesting that money for the wall would be better spent elsewhere. ‘$40 BILLION for the wall,’ Whitmer tweeted. ‘Think how many kids that would educate, how many roads, bridges and pipes it would fix.’ Whitmer also campaigned against Trump’s wall in 2018, saying, ‘it is time we get back to building bridges, not walls.'”
Trump’s proposed Mexican border wall would be costly & ineffective. Both Republicans & Democrats agree #NoWallNoBan https://t.co/g6b8l136nl
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) February 5, 2017
$40 BILLION for the wall. Think how many kids that would educate, how many roads, bridges and pipes it would fix. https://t.co/R9HaqLAsMZ
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) January 25, 2017
“We must stand together, because when we do, we cannot fail. It is time we get back to building bridges. Not walls.” pic.twitter.com/TARxBlnKKW
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) June 30, 2018
The Detroit News reported that Whitmer’s spokesperson, Tiffany Brown, stated: “Routine maintenance and upgrades are performed as needed to ensure the safety, security and protection of any sitting governor and the first family.” The outlet confirmed that the upgraded security would be paid for with funds from by the executive office budget.
The Michigan State Police allegedly recommended Whitmer install the upgraded security. Shanon Banner, spokesperson for the Michigan State Police, said: “As a matter of practice, we’re constantly reviewing security protocols and adjusting as needed. We don’t comment on specific threats against the governor, nor do we provide information about security measures.”
Whitmer has become known for flip-flopping on issues. She admitted in May that her husband asked a boating company for special treatment because he was married to her. This reportedly came after Whitmer’s office called the allegation a “rumor” and suggested that it could be “misinformation.”
The Daily Wire explained: “The controversy surrounded a report that her husband called a boating company and asked them to put their boat on the water before Memorial Day weekend and, when told it wouldn’t be done by then, asked for special treatment because he was “the husband to the governor.” Adding to the controversy was the fact that Whitmer urged people to not go to that area if they did not live there, and while she and her husband own a second home there, it’s an approximately 200-mile drive from their main residence, the governor’s mansion, in Lansing. She later claimed that he drove across the state to rake leaves at the second home and then came home.”
“Whitmer addressed the controversy during a press conference, saying, ‘I do feel compelled to address the most recent one about my husband Marc. My husband made a failed attempt at humor last week when checking in with a small business that helps with our boat and dock up north.'”
“Knowing it wouldn’t make a difference, he jokingly asked if being married to me might move him up in the queue,” Whitmer continued. “Obviously, with the motorized boating prohibition in our early days of COVID-19, he thought it might get a laugh. It didn’t and to be honest I wasn’t laughing either when it was relayed to me because I knew how it would be perceived. He regrets it, I wish it wouldn’t have happened and that’s really all we have to say about it.”