President Opts for Partisan Gathering Over Traditional Bipartisan Meeting
For the first time in many years, an annual, traditionally bipartisan meeting with governors at the White House will be attended exclusively by Republicans. The President has decided to break this precedent by not extending invitations to any Democratic governors for this meeting.
The meeting, a key event during the National Governors Association (NGA) winter assembly, will be restricted to Republican governors only. This departure from the norm has been acknowledged by a representative from the organization.
The Tradition of the Bipartisan Meeting
"The bipartisan White House governors meeting is an important tradition, and we are disappointed in the administration’s decision to make it a partisan occasion this year. To disinvite individual governors to the White House sessions undermines an important opportunity for federal-state collaboration," said Brandon Tatum, the acting Executive Director and CEO of the NGA.
A Separate Event for All Parties
Despite this, the President intends to conduct a separate, bipartisan dinner for governors and their spouses at the White House as part of the NGA activities. However, two Democrats, the governors of Maryland and Colorado, were not included on the invitation list.
The reasons behind these exclusions remain unclear. The Maryland governor also holds the position of vice chair of the NGA, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the decision.
"This is a disappointing decision for a traditionally bipartisan event between Governors and the President," said a spokesperson for the Colorado governor. It was also noted that the governor was not given a reason for the non-invitation.
Tensions Over Recent Events
In recent times, the President has been pressuring the Colorado governor to release a person from prison who received a presidential pardon, despite being convicted on state charges for a scheme to tamper with voting systems. It's important to note that the President’s pardon power does not extend to state crimes.
The Maryland governor, who was not informed why he was not invited to the annual dinner, criticized the President in a statement released on Sunday, hinting that his race might have been a factor in the decision.
"My peers, both Democrats and Republicans, selected me to serve as the Vice Chair of the NGA, another reason why it’s hard not to see this decision as another example of blatant disrespect and a snub to the spirit of bipartisan federal-state partnership," he said.
"As the nation’s only Black governor, I can’t ignore that being singled out for exclusion from this bipartisan tradition carries an added weight -- whether that was the intent or not," he added.
Reactions to the Decision
The White House has been asked to comment on these remarks.
In addition, the Maryland governor confirmed that he has received a commitment from the bipartisan National Governors Association that it will not recognize the dinner as an official NGA event.
The White House press secretary defended the President’s decision to exclude Democratic governors from the annual NGA meeting at the White House, but pointed out that they were invited to the dinner.
"These are White House events and the President can invite whomever he wants. With that being said, the White House has been coordinating meetings with the President, cabinet secretaries, and Democrat governors for more than a week," the press secretary said. "Democrats were invited to the dinner at the White House. This is a non-story."
However, the Democratic Governor of Kentucky, a guest on a popular television talk show, criticized the President’s decision to only invite Republicans to the annual meeting with governors at the White House and exclude the Maryland and Colorado governors from the bipartisan dinner. He also stated he would not be attending the bipartisan dinner.
"No, I ain't going," he said. “The Maryland governor is a friend of mine. Even if he wasn't a friend of mine, this would be wrong -- and the exclusion of the Colorado governor as well -- but the other thing that's going on is they didn't invite any Democratic governor to the business section."