- California Gov. Gavin Newsom took a trip with his family to Montana on Friday.
- Montana is banned from state-funded trips in California because of its LGBT policies. Newsom did not travel on state funds.
- Newsom recently aired a political ad in Florida criticizing Governor Ron DeSantis's policies on the LGBT community and abortion.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is spending time with family in Montana — a state on California's list of banned places to travel to using state funds.
The Office of the Governor clarified that Newsom did not use state funds for the trip.
Montana, along with 22 other states, is banned from travel using state funds because of Montana's anti-LGBT policies.
"The travel ban applies to expending state funds," Erin Mellon, communications director for Newsom, told Insider. "The Governor's travel is not being paid for by the state. Connecting the two is irresponsible and falsely implies there is something untoward."
Newsom departed for a vacation to the treasure state on Friday but did not initially announce where he was traveling. He will return home on Monday, Mellon said. The parents of Newsom's wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, have a property in Montana. The couple was also married there in 2008, CalMatters reported.
This is not the first time Newsom has been scrutinized for his personal outings.
In 2020, as COVID-19 cases were rising in California, Newsom attended a private dinner party at the French Laundry after advising against social gatherings. His attendance received widespread criticism.
Newsom recently aired political ads in Florida on Sunday criticizing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' LGBTQ+ and abortion policies.
