Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte on ‘personal trip’ during flooding

Gov. Greg Gianforte is out of the country on a “long-scheduled personal trip” as historic floods indefinitely closed Yellowstone National Park and deluged communities in southern Montana, his office confirmed Wednesday.

Gianforte, a Republican elected in 2020, left Montana last week on a personal jaunt with his wife, Susan, before the Yellowstone River swelled Monday and isolated entire communities in Park, Carbon and Stillwater counties, the Montana Free Press reported.

But a spokeswoman declined to indicate when Gianforte, 61, will return to the Treasure State or where he and his wife went, according to the report.

“The governor is returning early and as quickly as possible,” spokeswoman Brooke Stroyke told the outlet in a statement.

Gianforte has been active on Twitter since the flooding began, declaring a statewide disaster on Tuesday to “help impacted communities get back on their feet” as quickly as possible.

“In addition to declaring a statewide disaster, we are pursuing an expedited presidential disaster declaration to help cover the costs communities face,” the governor later tweeted.

Receding floodwaters in some areas of Montana are revealing major damage while rivers are expected to rise again in coming days as a heat wave is expected, the Helena Independent Record reported.

Gianforte’s whereabouts led to speculation after the state’s disaster declaration was signed by Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras. His absence prompted criticism from Democrats in Montana.

“In a moment of unprecedented disaster and economic uncertainty, Gianforte purposefully kept Montanans in the dark about where he was, and who was actually in charge,” Sheila Hogan, executive director of the Montana Democratic Party, said in a statement. “Again, we ask, where in the world is Gov. Gianforte?”

A public administration professor at Montana State University agreed, saying Gianforte’s trip couldn’t have come at a worse time.

“The fact that [the flooding] is so extreme and his office has just been pretty recalcitrant about where he is and what’s going on is not great,” professor Eric Austin told the Montana Free Press.

A public official may have legitimate reasons to keep their location private during an international trip, but said the optics aren’t good during a natural disaster.

“Perceptually, that doesn’t really help,” Austin told the outlet.

Wednesday’s statement indicated Gianforte has been “regularly briefed” on the flooding response since activating the State Emergency Coordination Council on Monday, NBC Montana reported.

“He remains in close communication with state and local officials, and will continue to share updates,” the statement added. “The governor and state’s top priority currently remains evacuation in areas of danger, ensuring shelter for displaced residents, and safely restoring water and power.”

A message seeking additional comment from Stroyke was not immediately returned early Thursday.

Several users on Twitter, meanwhile, called out the Republican governor in replies to his most recent tweet late Wednesday.

“Where are you writing this from, Greg?” one read. “Where are you when Montana need leadership?”