~ Governor Pawlenty’s Director of Communications, Brian McClung, statement regarding a Minnesota Public Radio story about Governor Pawlenty’s travel ~

Saint Paul – The following is a statement from Brian McClung, Director of Communications for Governor Tim Pawlenty, regarding a Minnesota Public Radio story about Governor Pawlenty’s travel:

“This MPR story is misleading. It focuses on the total number of days Governor Pawlenty has traveled and does not differentiate between activity during the week and on weekends.

“A fact omitted from the story is that Governor Pawlenty was out of Minnesota for just eight weekdays this year and virtually all of those trips were related to official duties as Chair of the National Governors Association or assisting the Minneapolis-St. Paul Host Committee.

“The majority of his travel occurred on weekends. It’s doubtful that most Minnesotans care if the Governor is playing hockey, campaigning or watching his daughter’s volleyball games on his own time on a Saturday or Sunday.

“In addition, Minnesota taxpayers did not foot the bill for any of these trips, except for the Governor’s annual participation in the National Governors Association Winter Meeting in Washington.”