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California Governor Gavin Newsom traveled to Montana with his family on Friday.
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Montana has been banned from state-funded travel in California because of its LGBT policies. Newsom did not travel on state money.
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Newsom recently ran a political ad in Florida criticizing Governor Ron DeSantis’ policies toward the LGBT community and abortion.
California Governor Gavin Newsom spends time with family in Montana, a state that is on the list of prohibited places in California with state funds.
The governor’s office clarified that Newsom did not use government funds for the trip.
Montana, along with 22 other states, is prohibited from traveling on state funds due to Montana’s anti-LGBT policy.
“The travel ban applies to spending state money,” Erin Mellon, Newsom’s communications director, told Insider. “The governor’s trip is not paid for by the state. It is irresponsible to connect the two and wrongly implies that there is something undesirable.”
Newsom left for a vacation to the treasure state on Friday, but did not initially disclose where he was traveling to. He will return home Monday, Mellon said. The parents of Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, own a home in Montana. The couple also got married there in 2008 That reports CalMatters.
This isn’t the first time Newsom has come under scrutiny for his personal outings.
In 2020, as the number of COVID-19 cases rose in California, Newsom attended a private dinner at the French Laundry after advising against social gatherings. His presence was widely criticized.
Newsom recently ran political ads in Florida on Sunday criticizing the LGBTQ+ and abortion policies of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Read the original article on Insider
