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Bill Peduto, Rich Fitzgerald to skip Penguins' White House visit

Andrew Rush/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Bill Peduto, Rich Fitzgerald to skip Penguins' White House visit

Neither Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto nor Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald will accompany the Penguins in Washington, D.C., when the team celebrates its second consecutive Stanley Cup win.

Mr. Peduto and Mr. Fitzgerald have declined invitations for an Oct. 10 event honoring the championship team, city and county officials confirmed Tuesday.

Both men attended last October when former President Barack Obama recognized the Penguins for their 2016 Stanley Cup victory.

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This time around, Mr. Peduto “doesn’t feel the time is right” for him to visit the executive mansion under President Donald Trump, mayoral spokesman Timothy McNulty said. He said the team invited Mr. Peduto over the weekend.

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“Given the president’s comments over the past week and the way in which sports are now becoming a politically divisive issue, he felt the timing is not right,” Mr. McNulty said.

Last week, Mr. Trump suggested team owners should oust players in the National Football League for kneeling during the national anthem. Mr. Peduto said Monday that he believes “the individual rights of all Americans should always be theirs to express.”

Mr. Fitzgerald had a different explanation for his plans: A scheduling conflict prevents him from attending the White House’s Penguins ceremony, expected at 3 p.m.

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Under the county home-rule charter, Mr. Fitzgerald said, he’s required to present a budget proposal to County Council at its first October meeting. He said the gathering is set for 5 p.m., just two hours after the White House event, and “there is no way that I could do both.”

“I don’t want people to think I’m not going for any political reason. That is not the case. I would go,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “It’s an honor for the Penguins no matter who the president is — or what the politics are — to go for their achievements. It’s a ceremonial event.”

Mr. Fitzgerald’s invitation came from the White House, said Amie Downs, the county communications director. Both he and Mr. Peduto are Democrats; Mr. Trump, a Republican.

Neither the Trump administration nor the Penguins immediately commented Tuesday evening. The team confirmed Sunday that it accepted an invitation to be honored at the White House.

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Adam Smeltz: 412-263-2625, asmeltz@post-gazette.com, @asmeltz. The Associated Press contributed.

First Published: September 26, 2017, 11:44 p.m.

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