FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Democratic Party filed an ethics complaint against Attorney General Daniel Cameron following his entrance into the race for governor next year.
“Let me be clear: Daniel Cameron does not get to play by his own rules,” KDP chair Colmon Elridge said.
What You Need To Know
- Attorney General Daniel Cameron is seeking the Republican nomination for governor next year. He made the announcement Wednesday
- The Kentucky Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Executive Branch Ethics Commission, claiming Cameron violated the law by investigating the current governor in his role as attorney general
- Gov. Andy Beshear said Cameron requested documents related to a law firm the governor's office contracts with, showing the violation is ongoing
- Through a spokesman, Cameron said the complaint was a "joke" and Beshear was acting "desparate"
The complaint says Cameron used his power as attorney general to target Beshear, who is now a direct political opponent, in direct violation of rules set by the Kentucky Executive Branch Ethics Commission.
One example is Cameron’s ongoing investigation of Beshear’s actions to remove the Jefferson Davis statue from the state capitol two years ago.
“If (Cameron) is to indeed run for governor, he needs to follow the law first,” Elridge said. “A first-year law student would understand this, and so too should the Attorney General of the commonwealth of Kentucky.”
When Gov. Andy Beshear was attorney general, he sought the opinion of the Executive Branch Ethics Commission because of potential investigations into then-Governor Matt Bevin.
He says the commission was clear: you can’t investigate someone you might run against.
“If you’ve done that, the opinion would suggest every day you’re in the governor’s election, it’s a violation, and an ongoing violation,” Beshear said. “But of course, they served a request for documents last night, so I think it is an intentional and willful, ongoing violation.”
Former Attorney General Greg Stumbo received similar guidance from the ethics commission in 2006 when he was considering a run for governor against then-Gov. Ernie Fletcher.
Cameron responded to the ethics complaint through Brandon Moody, a strategist for his gubernatorial campaign.
"General Cameron has time and again protected the rights of Kentuckians who have had their rights trampled upon by a Governor acting outside the bounds of the law. Andy Beshear has lost time and again,” Moody said. “This is the real Andy Beshear—he shows his true colors when he has his minions send out a memo complaining that being held to the law is unfair."
Moody's statement also dismissed the ethics complaint as "desperate" and a "joke."
Cameron is the latest Republican candidate in what’s expected to be a crowded field for governor next year.
“I feel we’ve got the best candidate in the race,” Elridge said of Gov. Beshear. “And whatever the show is going to be on the other side, I promise I will pop popcorn with the rest of you.”