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Peduto, Fitzgerald won't attend Penguins White House visit

PITTSBURGH — Two Pittsburgh-area leaders will not attend the Penguins visit to the White House, but for different reasons.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto told Channel 11 that tweets by President Donald Trump played a role in his decision to decline an invitation to the White House with the team.

RELATED: Pittsburgh Penguins accept White House Invitation

“If all the attention was not focused on sports the way it has with the tweets coming from the White House, I would have thought about it,” Peduto said.

Peduto attended last year’s event.

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Allegheny County Rich Fitzgerald will also be absent from the White House visit. According to a county spokesperson, Fitzgerald must deliver the budget address to county council on the same day.

Here's his full statement:

"Earlier this week, I was honored to receive an invitation to the White House on October 10 to attend the ceremony honoring the Pittsburgh Penguins' second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. I have enjoyed the opportunity to attend and participate in this honor in the past, and would love to do so again. Unfortunately, October 10th is also the date that I am schedules to present the annual budget message and the comprehensive fiscal plan to County Council, a requirement contained within the county's Home Rule Charter.

"While I had hoped to be able to attend the White House celebration and return in time for the Council meeting, the time of the event will simply not allow me to do both. With that being said, I must decline the invitation to the White House, but thank you again for the invitation. I'll look forward to having the opportunity to return again for a future celebration.

"In addition to conveying that to the White House, our office also spoke to the office to explain why I am unable to attend and also shared the same with the Penguins leadership. For the White House to celebrate this achievement is quite an honor for the Penguins, and I'm sorry that I will be unable to join them this year in recognizing their championship."

The Penguins will celebrate their Stanley Cup championship at the White House in the coming weeks.

The team announced Sunday that they would still attend despite the recent controversy surrounding professional athletes, politics and the national anthem.

In the statement, the Penguins said they “respect the institution of the Office of the President, and the long tradition of championship teams visiting the White House.”