As Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe pleaded with residents to stay home Sunday and Monday so the state could have adequate time to clear the roadways of the 30-plus inches of snow dumped on the state, he was prepping for a television cameo.
On Monday, Mr. McAuliffe dressed up as a Revolutionary War general to shoot a cameo appearance for the AMC show “Turn: Washington Spies,” a Virginia-based series about spycraft now in its third season.
Mr. McAuliffe posted pictures to his Twitter account of himself in full costume as Gen. Robert Lawson, writing: “Proud to support VA’s film industry by taking a role in an episode of @TurnAMC this upcoming season.”
State police and transportation officials in Virginia — which had 12 storm-related deaths, more than any other state — advised all residents Monday to “avoid unnecessary travel,” but the governor himself was apparently exempt from the advisory.
A conservative watchdog has subsequently filed Freedom of Information Act requests for Mr. McAuliffe’s schedule and all emails between the governor’s office and AMC to see what the decision-making process was for the TV appearance and if there were any second thoughts on whether he should do the shoot, given the fallout from the snowstorm.
“It was very odd to see Governor McAuliffe in full makeup and costume filming a TV cameo while thousands of Virginians are still waiting for snow plows to clear their streets, unable to get to work,” said Brian Rogers, executive director of America Rising Squared. “For the sake of open and accountable government, citizens have a right to know what went into the governor’s decision to abandon his post as Virginia dealt with the impacts of this storm, which has killed a dozen people across the Commonwealth.”
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has also come under fire for his response to the weather event. Mr. Christie, who is running for the GOP presidential nomination, curtailed his campaigning in New Hampshire as the storm approached, but returned to the trail shortly thereafter.
Both reporters and town hall guests have hammered him on his decision to leave the state, where many areas along the Jersey shore are flooded.
At a New Hampshire town hall Tuesday, Mr. Christie responded to the criticism by saying: “Do you want me to go down there with a mop?”
He later apologized for the remark, saying he got carried away.
• Kelly Riddell can be reached at kriddell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.