Fact check: Did Gretchen Whitmer intentionally mock the Eucharist?
Viral video was followed by a partial apology from Michigan governor
Michigan Gov. Whitmer found herself in a firestorm of controversy over this past weekend after she appeared in a very brief Instagram video that detractors claimed was intended to ridicule the Eucharist, the Catholic Communion rite in which the faithful believe that Jesus Christ is present.
The eight-second video, posted on the Instagram account of Liz Plank, shows Plank wearing a bright pink sweater and being fed a Dorito corn chip by someone off-screen to the left. It is then revealed that the person is Whitmer, who is wearing a dressy blue outfit and wearing a Harris-Walz hat.
The Instagram post accompanying the video reads:
If he won’t, Gretchen Whitmer will.
Chips aren’t just delicious, the CHIPS Act is a game-changer for U.S. tech and manufacturing, boosting domestic production of semiconductors to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers! Donald Trump would put that at risk.
The CHIPS Act is a 2022 law that provides support for the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America Defense Fund. The law, passed by Congress and signed by President Biden, was designed to give a boost to American manufacturing.
Almost as soon as the video was posted, some prominent Catholics claimed that the video was insulting, or worse, to Catholics. Among them was Bill Donohue of the Catholic League, who wrote:
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer insulted Catholics nationwide when she intentionally ridiculed the Eucharist in a video.
The short video was posted by podcaster Liz Plank on her Instagram account. Whitmer, who is wearing a Harris-Walz hat, is standing above Plank, who is kneeling in front of her. Plank opens her mouth and Whitmer places a Dorito chip on her tongue, mocking the Eucharist. Whitmer is shown staring into the camera with a blank look on her face.
There is no way to understand this stunt other than as an expression of vintage anti-Catholic bigotry.
Whitmer later apologized for how the video was interpreted, but not for the video itself:
Over 25 years in public service, I would never do something to denigrate someone’s faith. I’ve used my platform to stand up for people’s right to hold and practice their personal religious beliefs. My team has spoken to the Michigan Catholic Conference. What was supposed to be a video about the importance of the CHIPS Act to Michigan jobs has been construed as something it was never intended to be, and I apologize for that.
Claim:
Among other criticisms of Whitmer were these:1
Paul A. Long, head of the Michigan Catholic Conference: “The skit goes further than the viral online trend that inspired it, specifically imitating the posture and gestures of Catholics receiving the Holy Eucharist, in which we believe that Jesus Christ is truly present. It is not just distasteful or ‘strange’; it is an all-too-familiar example of an elected official mocking religious persons and their practices. While dialogue on this issue with the governor’s office is appreciated, whether or not insulting Catholics and the Eucharist was the intent, it has had an offensive impact.”
Ashley McGuire of The Catholic Association: “Gretchen Whitmer's mockery of Catholics is unsurprising in that she represents a political party that has shown nothing but animosity towards our faith.”
Catholic author Tim Carney: “I’m ready to believe this is intentional mockery of the Blessed Sacrament because Whitmer’s AG is unabashed in her disdain for the Catholic Church.”
Truth verdict:
❌❓ Although it is understandable why some might interpret the skit as a portrayal of a Catholic parishioner receiving Communion, there is no evidence to indicate that was the intent. There is nothing visible in any frame of the video suggestive of a church or other religious location, and no religious music. Also, Plank is not kneeling, as is the common practice during the Mass. (She appears to be seated at the edge of a sofa or other piece of furniture that is low to the ground.) Her facial appearance before and after receiving the chip also is not one of reverence or devotion that would be expected during a Mass.
Comment:
Of course, we have only the word of the participants as to any intentionality of portraying an act that looks something like the Eucharist. But a question worth asking is: Would it make sense for someone of the stature of Whitmer, who was considered a potential presidential candidate earlier this year and is widely viewed as a potential presidential candidate in 2028 or 2032, to intentionally mock a key constituency? Impossible, no. But unlikely.
The easiest explanation is that the video is little more than it appears to be, an imitation of a recent viral video trend in which a person is fed something by an off-screen person who is later revealed to be someone unexpected.
Of course, we’ll never know with certainty what was going on in Whitmer’s head during the filming. It is possible that the filming took place in a way to provide plausible deniability. But Whitmer’s explanation, that the video was made for political purposes with no intent to mock the Eucharist, is one that makes more sense.
Quotes are from the National Catholic Register.