Back in the day, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s childhood ambition was to be an ESPN sports commentator.
That obviously didn’t happen, but as a politician her interest in athletics hasn’t flagged. In fact, she cares so much about sports that, on her most recent trade mission to Europe, she took a side trip from Germany to Italy to interview Michigan athletes (which she posted on a viral video) in a number of events at the XXV Winter Olympics. Her special treat was catching the U.S. women’s hockey team bring home a gold medal with a dramatic overtime victory over Canada on Feb.19. In fact, the game winner was scored by Michigan’s own Megan Keller of Farmington Hills.
There were other Michigan heroes, too. Jack Hughes, whose home base is in Canton and who trained in Plymouth, scored the OT goal that gave the U.S. men’s hockey team another victory over Canada. His brother Quinn, a star defenseman on the U.S. team, played at the University of Michigan. Both now play in the NHL on different teams. Let’s not overlook Connor Hellebuyck of Commerce Twp (in Oakland Co.), who was the hero goalie who turned back 41 shots and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump in his State of the Union address last Tuesday. Then there is Dylan Larkin. The Detroit Red Wings captain, who also played at U-M, was a key member of the winning U.S. team as he scored two goals, was a top penalty-killer, and won the most faceoffs of any player in the competition.
We might have expected Gov. Whitmer to secure at least one of these heroes for her State of the State last Wednesday, to stand and be recognized in the state House gallery. Or maybe even the entire women’s team, who failed to show up as the men’s team did at Trump’s SOTU. That would have been a real coup.
But, no, none of these pucksters were there. Did Whitmer and executive office staff try to lure them? We’ll probably never know, but could it be that they realized it might have reminded the political audience, in the chamber or virtual, of the governor’s sortie to Milan and whether it was an appropriate use of her time?
And it might raise questions about who paid for Governor Whitmer’s Olympic Hockey Ticket.
Did Whitmer pay for her Olympic ticket in advance of the game as the Michigan Lobby Law requires? If she did, end of story.
If not, here are some clues as to who might be the Governor’s mystery benefactor. It is not illegal for the Governor to accept a ticket as a gift, but it is a misdemeanor for a lobbyist or lobbyist agent to give a gift to a state public official over $79.
The gift limit to a Michigan public official applies even over in Italy, if made by a lobbyist or lobbyist agent. The face value of a ticket to the women’s gold medal hockey game was $162. However, the fair market of that game ticket was somewhere between $207-$350 depending on when the ticket was purchased.
Or was the hockey ticket paid for by the Michigan Economic Development Foundation (MEDF), which claims it is not a lobbyist and therefore not subject to the gift limits in the Michigan Lobby Law, even though the MEDF reported on its 2024 IRS form 990 (its latest filing made public) having made $678,500 in grants to underwrite the expenses of Michigan trade missions?
Bob LaBrant, a government watchdog retired attorney, points out that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has had a lobby law complaint pending since November 3, 2025, against the MEDF for its alleged failure to register as a lobbyist. Every 60 days the Attorney General is required, under the lobby law, to communicate in writing to the complainant and the alleged violator on the status of its investigation and the reasons for its action or non-action until the matter has been resolved. However, says LaBrant, 112 days have now passed without any written communication from the Attorney General, whose spokesperson’s only comment was that the matter is under review.
An administrative rule on gifts under the Michigan Lobby Law was promulgated last year by the Department of State, which requires a public official (including the Governor), before taking possession of the ticket, to pay from the public official’s personal funds the fair market value of the ticket to the lobbyist or lobbyist agent who provided the ticket.
Those MEDF board members are all employed by companies that are lobbyists in Michigan. Many of those MEDF board members are themselves registered as lobbyist agents for their employer.
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MLive reporter Danielle James in an article published on Feb. 16, 2026 observed the question on the entity that financed the Whitmer excursion:
“The latest mission is supported by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, MEDC, and the Michigan Economic Development Foundation.”
Ms. James went on to quote MEDC public relations representative Danielle Emerson: “Taxpayer dollars are not used for investment trips.”
That article indicated that the trade mission’s trip extended to Italy to meet there with business, government and industry leaders – but that multiple questions regarding whether she would attend the Milan Olympics were not answered as of press time.
Based upon the foregoing account, it could reasonably inferred that MEDC and/or MEDF may have in fact paid for Whitmer’s Olympic ticket.
More sleuthing may be needed to ascertain the conclusive truth on the matter.
The Detroit News in an article by Beth LeBlanc this morning quoted the Governor’s Press Secretary Stacey LaRouche that the Milan Olympic hockey ticket used by the Governor was not “at taxpayer’s expense.”
Oh for St. Pete’s sake, Bill. All for ~$80? Is it really worth marshalling multiple teams of $250k/yr lawyers for this penny-ante stuff? Clearly a lawyer fill-up yer idle time law. Studies show elementary school children would dispense the highest crime punishment for any age group, but I really find it hard to believe even they would stoop so low.
Yer gonna make me break out my anecdote about getting hauled in front of 2 layers of management before they confiscated a $2.50 gift of thumbtacks I received from a vendor.
Don’t worry Bill, yer rep is fully intact!
The failure to follow the rule in question by a lobbyist is a misdemeanor – a criminal offense.
I was in Lansing in the 1980s when lobbyist Judy Augenstein went on trial for an alleged $2,500 bribe offer to legislator Ed Giese. A jury acquitted her based on based on arguments of entrapment. No money ever changes hands, but the MSP went to extraordinary lengths to build a case against her.
These Olympic ticket issues are a serious matter and need to be investigated.
Maybe the ticket should be investigated, but I don’t see how an offer of a bribe of about $7,500 in today’s dollars is comparable.
The issue was whether Augenstein offered a bribe or Giese solicited campaign contributions for a vote. It wound up being he said/she said due to bungled wiretapping. There was no physical evidence of a bribe and the later wiretap recordings could be interpreted in either of the two different ways due to the failure to successfully record the initial meeting at issue.
You should have more respect for the jury’s decision. It was a long lost era when individuals were innocent until proven guilty.
MICHIGAN needs a Governor who is sincere, genuine & ready to solve problems. Read Kaitlyn Buss. DETROIT NEWS
Who paid for Cash Patel’s ticket and transport? Do any of these people go to symphonies?
It would have been better if she had.
ESPN would have gained a sports commentator.
Michigan would not have been harmed by one of the WORST Governors in the history of the State.
She hasn’t done a damn thing to fix the roads. Her plan was to use the roads as an excuse to foist a massive tax hike on us; the proceeds no doubt to be used for “Learing Centers” for Somalis and their ilk. Fortunately, her idiotic nonsense was a non-starter. (Much like electric cars in a Michigan winter.)
Since she was elected, Michigan’s school reading scores have plummeted, and we are the laughingstock of the USA. The state of affairs is pathetic when Mississippi (a state that still doesn’t have electricity in all areas) outranks Michigan in student achievement.
Her not one, but two, Michigan Supreme Court appointments are a running joke among members of the Michigan Bar Association. Neither one is capable of successfully defending a motion in Traffic Court and are nothing more than two controllable votes for the Demoncrat party.
Her appointment to the position of State Police Director is such a disaster that 98% of State Police Troopers consider him to be 100% worthless.
Her antics concerning the MEDC are the hallmark of cronyism. Millions of dollars were channeled to her supporters and no doubt those dollars have purchased a condo in Florida, Arizona, or some other warm climate under the name of Grinchen Whitler. (There will no doubt be a $4,500 coffee maker on the premises)
If all those failures weren’t enough, her antics during COVID-1984 (a/k/a the Chinese flu), are so despicable as to warrant charges of treason. Closing down the entire State, causing suicides among students who couldn’t finish their senior year, placing violent felons in nursing homes who murdered the helpless, not to mention those who died of a broken heart as they couldn’t visit their loved ones, is beyond the bounds of acceptable behavior by an elected official.
Recently, there has been some publicity regarding the atrocious conditions at the Huron Valley correctional facility, the only prison housing women in Michigan. It’s guaranteed that the Grinch will remedy these conditions forthwith.
After all, wouldn’t you want your new home in pristine condition? Especially if you’ll be there the rest of your life.
Treason?? Give me a break! She saved lives during COVID. Many more people would have died if she hadn’t taken the actions she did. As for the trip to Milan, she accomplished a helluva more than Kash Patel.
You should contrast the toll of COVID in Michigan and the other American police states with that of Sweden. We have about the same population and age distribution as Sweden, but had 10,000 more deaths.
Sweden did not lock down their country, nor did they inject COVID into their nursing homes to kill off their elderly. Their statistics are a whole lo9t more honest, as well.
Now if they could only discourage their immigrants from playing with hand grenades…..