Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche has been invited to join the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins at the White House today.
Osche, the Republican chairman of the board of commissioners, will be the only local commissioner attending because the other two had prior commitments. She will join other leaders from across western Pennsylvania.
This will mark her third White House visit this year.
“They really are staying in close touch at the local level which is very unusual, as I understand it, but we welcome that. They are reaching down really to the people,” Osche said in an interview.
The ceremony comes as controversies over race, patriotism and freedom of speech have intersected professional sports and politics. Some have criticized the Pittsburgh Penguins for accepting President Trump’s invitation but the Penguins organization has insisted the visit is not in any way political, but rather a celebration of an accomplishment.