Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer provided an apology after taking part in a weird video stunt wherein she appeared to mock the Communion sacrament.
“Over 25 years in public service, I might by no means do one thing to denigrate somebody’s religion. I’ve used my platform to face up for folks’s proper to carry and follow their private non secular beliefs,” Whitmer mentioned in an announcement toFox 2 Detroit.
“My crew has spoken to the Michigan Catholic Convention. What was presupposed to be a video in regards to the significance of the CHIPS Act to Michigan jobs, has been construed as one thing it was by no means supposed to be, and I apologize for that.”
The controversy erupted after Whitmer filmed a bit with left-wing influencer Liz Plank that confirmed Plank on her knees whereas Whitmer positioned a Dorito in her mouth. The digital camera then panned to a bemused trying Whitmer carrying a Harris-Walz marketing campaign hat.
The spot was apparently a riff on a viral TikTok meme wherein mates feed one another meals earlier than staring uncomfortably into the digital camera. The 2022 CHIPS Act signed by President Biden licensed almost $280 billion in home spending on home analysis, notably in STEM fields.
Whitmer is a prime surrogate for Vice President Harris’ 2024 presidential marketing campaign, and the imbroglio comes as Harris faces skepticism from Catholic voters over a collection of slights.
Roughly 18% of Michigan residents are Catholic and the state is a vital 2024 battleground. The state’s Catholic Convention issued a harsh condemnation of the skit, saying the imagery went nicely past the viral meme.
“The skit goes additional than the viral on-line pattern that impressed it, particularly imitating the posture and gestures of Catholics receiving the Holy Eucharist, wherein we imagine that Jesus Christ is really current,” mentioned Paul A. Lengthy, Michigan Catholic Convention President and CEO.
“It’s not simply distasteful or ‘unusual,’ it’s an all-too-familiar instance of an elected official mocking non secular individuals and their practices. Whereas dialogue on this subject with the governor’s workplace is appreciated, whether or not or not insulting Catholics and the Eucharist was the intent, it has had an offensive affect.”
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