Democratic governors disinvited from traditionally bipartisan White House gatherings

By Betsy Klein, Jeff Zeleny, CNN

(CNN) — Every year, the nation’s governors convene in Washington, DC, for a friendly winter confab that includes a working meeting at the White House and a black-tie dinner hosted by the president.

This year, President Donald Trump is adjusting the guest list for the long, bipartisan tradition. Democratic governors have been excluded from the business meeting, and two of those governors, Wes Moore of Maryland and Jared Polis of Colorado, were not invited to the dinner, according to a source familiar with the matter.

“We are disappointed in the administration’s decision to make it a partisan occasion this year,” interim National Governors Association CEO Brandon Tatum said in a statement.

He added: “To disinvite individual governors to the White House sessions undermines an important opportunity for federal-state collaboration.”

The decision to exclude Democrats from the working session at the White House marks a break in tradition from presidents of both parties.

With Moore and Polis disinvited from the dinner, two Democratic officials said several governors were re-evaluating whether they planned to attend.

The Colorado and Maryland governors have both publicly tangled with and criticized Trump. But other Democrats who have openly quarreled with the administration, like Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, were extended invitations.

Pritzker was not expecting to go to the White House anyway, aides said, citing his ongoing clashes with Trump in the wake of immigration enforcement actions in his state last year.

Polis and Moore were not informed of their exclusion or given a reason by the White House, two sources familiar with the matter said.

A spokesperson for Polis called the exclusion a “disappointing decision.”

“Gov. Polis has always been willing to work with anyone across the political spectrum who wants to help work on the hardest problems facing Colorado and America, regardless of party or who occupies the White House,” spokesperson Shelby Wieman said in a statement.

The White House and the Democratic Governors Association did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment Friday night. CNN has reached out to Moore for comment.

The annual winter meeting of the nation’s governors – long a bipartisan event focused more on policy than politics – comes as tensions have been escalating between governors and their national association.

Illinois is among the states that have stopped paying their dues to the group, after it did not speak out against the Trump administration’s decision to send National Guard troops to the state last year without coordination with Pritzker.

“The protection of gubernatorial authority and state sovereignty must always be demanded, regardless of who is occupying the White House,” a spokesman for Pritzker said. “Governor Pritzker has been vocal that the National Governors Association as a whole should stand against the deployment of National Guard troops against a governor’s wishes.”

Still, the association on Friday characterized the situation as a failure of executive branch leadership.

“NGA will remain focused on serving all governors as they deliver solutions and model leadership for the American people. Traditionally the White House has played a role in fostering these moments during NGA’s annual meeting. This year, they will not,” Tatum said in the statement.

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