by
Gov. Whitmer
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, addressing some of the anger and backlash from her Covid-related orders, said Tuesday her family has seen "men with automatic rifles standing in view of our front window outside of our home."
"We have read the vile things people have said and written in response to my stay-home, stay-safe order," she said at a press conference on the virus. "My daughters have seen the likeness of their mother hung from a noose in effigy. We have weathered demonstrations that were egged on or participated in by some sitting Republican leaders."
Whitmer may have misspoke when describing the guns in front of her home as being "automatic rifles," since those are illegal. Assault rifles people legally carry around are semi-automatic.
Whitmer also went on to say that the harassment has gone beyond her family.
"Even my neighbors have been terrorized as they tried to enoy their Memorial Day Weekend up in Antrim County despite the fact that I was 200 miles away." Antrim County in northern Michigan is where her husband docks his boat. The Whitmer family lives in Lansing.
In an interview aired Sunday night on HBO, Whitmer said presidential criticism and mocking inspire social media threats against her.
"I have suggested on two calls at least that it would be helpful if they would take some effort to bring down the heat," she said. "It only makes things worse. The heat is ratcheting up ... and so it was my request that they consider doing something to bring down the heat."
