Governor’s Office confirms Italy trip

The Governor’s Office confirmed Friday that Gov. Greg Gianforte and his wife, Susan Gianforte, were in Italy after Newsy broke the story on Thursday.

Parts of Montana have experienced disastrous flooding this week including Yellowstone National Park and surrounding communities.

“With the governor back in the state and security concerns no longer an issue, we are providing information as promised,” said Brooke Stroyke, press secretary for the Governor’s Office, in an email. “The governor departed early Saturday morning to Italy with his wife for a long-planned personal, private trip.

“When severe flooding struck, the governor delegated his authority to respond to the disaster to Lieutenant Governor Kristen Juras with whom he worked closely over the last four days to take swift, decisive action. Grateful to be back in Montana, the governor looks forward to being on the ground in Gardiner this morning to survey damage and meet with residents and local officials about recovering and rebuilding.”

The Governor’s Office had initially declined to provide information about Gianforte’s location citing security concerns.

Friday, the governor was scheduled for an aerial tour to view flooding damage, an incident command briefing and a community roundtable in Gardiner.