Kentucky’s Republican governor said Tuesday he is hiring a private law firm to help investigate his Democratic predecessor for what he said were potentially illegal procurement practices.
Republican Governor Matt Bevin said the firm will assist the state’s Finance Cabinet in scrutinizing no-bid contracts and also reports of state workers being forced to make political donations by the administration of former Governor Steve Beshear. Under state law, the private firm will have the power to subpoena witnesses and documents.
Beshear called Bevin’s inquiry a “pathetic spectacle” and said the accusations “have absolutely no basis in truth.”
Bevin’s announcement escalates the political war between the two administrations. Bevin and Beshear have been at odds for months, starting with a dispute over Beshear’s appointment of his wife to an unpaid state commission post and continuing on to a battle over Kentucky’s health care system. Beshear has launched a nonprofit critical of Bevin’s health care policies that is raising money to “educate voters.”
Earlier this month, Beshear’s son, Attorney General Andy Beshear, sued Bevin over his mid-year budget cuts. That case awaits a hearing on Thursday.
Source: AP
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