Leslie Osche

Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche will be part of a Western Pennsylvania delegation accompanying the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team to the White House on Tuesday.

Osche, the Republican chairman of the board of commissioners, and her husband were among about 100 political, community and business leaders to be invited to the reception with the Stanley Cup-champion Penguins.

The invitations came from the administrative staff of President Donald Trump, Osche told the Butler Eagle on Monday.

“I think they're primarily people from counties contiguous to Allegheny County,” she said of the invitees.

The afternoon ceremony with the president is expected to be about an hour long. Osche said she doesn't know a specific itinerary for the 3 p.m. reception, but she's looking forward to her third visit to the White House this year.

“I'm really impressed with how the administration has reached down to us, has reached out to us,” she said. “I've talked with some of the longtime officials from neighboring counties, and they can't remember an administrative staff that was this responsive to our concerns.”

Most recently, she said, staff officials consulted with commissioners about federal tax reform policy.

The ceremony comes on the heels of controversial protests involving athletes in the National Football League refusing to stand for the national anthem. On Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence walked out of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis when members of the visiting San Francisco 49ers took a knee before losing 26-23 to the Colts.

In a recent statement, the Penguins said their White House visit had neither a rebuke of the protests nor an endorsement of Trump.

“The Pittsburgh Penguins respect the institution of the Office of the President, and the long tradition of championship teams visiting the White House,” the team statement read. “We attended White House ceremonies after previous championships — touring the historic building and visiting briefly with Presidents George H.W. Bush and Barack Obama — and have accepted an invitation to attend again this year.

Any agreement or disagreement with a president's politics, policies or agenda can be expressed in other ways. However, we very much respect the rights of other individuals and groups to express themselves as they see fit.”