Utility offered Burgum more than free Super Bowl tickets
BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum’s trip to the Super Bowl as a guest of a Minneapolis utility included free invitations to a rock concert, private parties, meals and other events, The Associated Press found through an open records request.
Burgum spokesman Mike Nowatzki said Saturday the GOP governor has reimbursed Xcel Energy for all costs related the weekend trip, with the sum now totalling almost $40,000.
Burgum and first lady Kathryn Helgaas Burgum watched the Super Bowl in Minneapolis on Feb. 4 from a suite provided at no cost by Xcel Energy, which serves more than 90,000 customers in North Dakota.
The governor has been heavily criticized, including from within his Republican Party, for accepting the utility’s gift, which he said gave him “quality time to engage in constructive conversations with top Xcel executives.”