Conference host backtracks on whether Washington state lawmakers attended Maui event
Last week, McClatchy reported that Washington state was among three states with legislators in Maui, Hawaii, for a conference held by the Independent Voter Project. Such a trip would seem to violate a state travel advisory Gov. Jay Inslee issued after COVID-19 cases began to spike dramatically.
On Nov. 13, Washington joined Oregon and California in encouraging residents to stay home or in their region and avoid non-essential travel to other states or countries. The states also asked travelers arriving from out-of-state for non-essential travel to voluntarily self-quarantine for 14 days after they arrive.
It remains unknown who the traveling Washington state legislators were, and the man who heads the Independent Voter Project this week shifted his story. While he had previously confirmed that Washington state legislators were in attendance at the conference, he now says two Washington lawmakers were in Maui on vacation but were not tied to the event, calling it a “misunderstanding.”
Politico reported Nov. 16 that the conference drew nearly 20 lawmakers from California, Texas and Washington state. The organization’s chairman and director, Dan Howle, confirmed that in a 35-minute phone call with McClatchy during which he detailed goings-on and COVID-19 precautions in place at the conference. The same three states also appear in reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Howle did not answer McClatchy’s questions regarding who the Washington legislators were nor how many attended. Politico and California media outlets have since reported the names of several California legislators in attendance.
McClatchy and other news organizations have submitted requests for state legislators’ calendars to see whether they include a trip to Hawaii or the conference.
A spokesperson for state Senate Democrats has told McClatchy all individual members have confirmed they weren’t at a conference in Maui, and a spokesperson for the state Senate Republicans has told McClatchy all individual members have confirmed they weren’t in Hawaii.
Spokespeople for each House caucus said last week they were not “aware” of any members who were there. McClatchy emailed each individual House member who hadn’t tweeted about the situation already to ask if they were in Maui for a conference, and as of Friday had heard back from all but nine of them, their spokespeople or their legislative assistants.
But Howle’s new claim that legislators were there on vacation, not a conference, means it’s unclear whether asking legislators if they were at the conference was even the correct question. The shift came Tuesday, nearly a week after the initial conversation with Howle.
Associated Press Reporter Rachel La Corte tweeted Tuesday that Howle had said in an email there were two Washington legislators at the conference, but they were there on vacation at their own expense.
When McClatchy followed up with Howle to confirm that number, he responded in an email that the two Washington legislators were in Maui on vacation and that he had never said they attended the conference.
When asked to confirm, then, whether they were at the conference and how he was aware of them being there on vacation if not, he wrote that “No WA legislators were at the conference.”
“Before retiring I did government relations and lobbying in most of the western states,” Howle wrote. “I have many friends in the third house as well as legislators. I had lunch in Hawaii with a friend from WA. The lunch was a personal, private lunch and not related in any way to the conference.”
AP’s La Corte tweeted about receiving a similar message from Howle, who insisted “that the two WA lawmakers were not in attendance at the conference and did not participate.”
“When asked why even mention them if they were on vacation and didn’t participate, he said he would have no further comment,” La Corte tweeted.
When confronted with what he had confirmed previously, he wrote in a response to McClatchy: “My apologizes for any misunderstanding. To correct the record, there were no WA legislators at the conference from WA state.”
McClatchy asked Howle in an email Wednesday to elaborate on how the “misunderstanding” occurred. As of Friday evening, Howle had not replied.
Howle’s answers regarding how many people attended the conference also have varied in reporting across news outlets.
Howle told McClatchy 100 people came to the hotel for the event, including about 20 state legislators, and daily participation was “in the neighborhood of 75” people. A roughly 100-person count also appears in reporting from Politico. Reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle includes Howle saying organizers booked about 50 rooms and had about 120 people staying there, including legislators.
The Sacramento Bee has reported that, not counting family members and other guests, Howle said about 50 participants were joining panels during the conference. The Los Angeles Times reported 50 people were attending the conference.
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