LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s office has asked the FBI to investigate a campaign donation of more than $200,000 to get Gov. Andy Beshear re-elected.
What you need to know
This week, Daniel Cameron asked the FBI to investigate a $202,000 campaign donation to Andy Beshear and the Kentucky Democratic Party.
The contribution was linked to the Mayor of London, Randall Weddle
Beshear says the donation has been refunded
The KDP has now asked the FBI to investigate Cameron’s campaign
On Thursday, Cameron sent a letter to the agency asking them to investigate what he believes is a clear violation of campaign finance law.
The complaint centers on a series of donations linked to London Mayor Randall Weddle’s credit card. The Kentucky Lantern it was first reported that $190,000 went to the state Democratic party and $12,000 went to Beshear’s campaign.
The donations far exceed the donation limits for a candidate and political party.
At a news conference Thursday, Beshear said the campaign donation has been contested.
“In every election I’ve been in, I’ve advised and demanded that my campaign follow the letter and spirit of every campaign finance law, and when any situation arises, I approach it with transparency to do what is right and work directly with regulators,” Beshear said.
Beshear added that his campaign is in direct communication with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance.
“This is an open and transparent way to try to do the right thing,” Beshear said.
Reporters also asked the governor if he thinks London Mayor Randall Weddle should be prosecuted for his donations. The governor did not directly answer yes or no.
Kentucky GOP Communications Director Sean Southard believes this situation will be a hot-button issue in the months leading up to the election.
“We’re talking about a large sum of money here traced to an individual that we know,” Southard said. “I think Kentuckians are smart and they see this situation and it raises questions and I think we’ll see how it plays out throughout the campaign.”
Cameron was asked about the letter he sent to the FBI at a campaign stop in western Kentucky on Thursday.
“It’s unfortunate, it’s a fiasco, as you pointed out, it’s horrible to see these things happening within our government and within our politics,” Cameron told reporters.
Last month, the governor awarded the City of London nearly $1.4 million in transportation funding. Four other areas also received funding.
Because Cameron is running against Beshear in the Kentucky governor’s race, his office cannot lead the investigation.
On Friday evening, the Kentucky Democratic Party responded with its own call for an investigation. The KDP asked the FBI to investigate Daniel Cameron’s campaign contributions.
According to his letter, Cameron received money from executives at an addiction recovery center that was under criminal investigation by the attorney general’s office. The letter quotes a report from The daily beast released earlier this week. That report also claims that Cameron’s campaign returned the campaign donation earlier this month.
