Former FBI agent questions Cameron’s ethics following campaign contribution accusations
LEXINGTON, Ky (WTVQ)- A former FBI special agent shared his thoughts Wednesday on the ramifications of campaign contributions that he says gubernatorial candidate and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron knowingly accepted from a company his office is investigating.
Attorney General Daniel Cameron has been accused of seeking campaign donations from Edgewater Recovery Centers, an organization Cameron’s office opened an investigation into last year.
Clay Mason is a former FBI special agent and a former Commissioner of Public Safety in Lexington. He says there are serious ethical questions raised after Cameron knowingly solicited and accepted funds from Edgewater.
“To me, this is an illegal and unethical dilemma and problem for Daniel Cameron,” says Mason, who spoke during a virtual meeting with the Kentucky Democratic Party.
This comes weeks after the Attorney General’s office asked the FBI to investigate reported contributions to Governor Andy Beshear’s reelection campaign.
“Daniel Cameron wants to push the pieces down the board to make claims that Governor Beshear has done something illegal. In this instance, in my opinion, is much more grievace because the attorney general is clearly very personally involved,” says Mason.
The Associated Press reports that in January and again in March, Cameron made requests for contributions from Edgewater officials. Edgewater executives reportedly pulled together money and donated $7,600 the Cameron campaign.
Mason says in May, after an open records request, Cameron recused himself from the investigation. The donations were eventually refunded to Edgwater.
When asked whether an FBI investigation into both Beshear and Cameron’s accusations would be similar, Mason says it was unlikely since Beshear was not actually involved in soliciting money.
“At the end of the day, we’re talking about apples and grapefruits. Because what occurred with the Democratic donations from Randall Weddell, the donor alerted the campaign to the over contributions and the party and the campaign immediately notified the regulator and they immediately began taking steps to refund the money,” says Mason.
Mason also believes Cameron’s office should refer the Edgewater Investigation to the FBI.
There is no word yet on if the FBI will investigate any of those claims.
We reached out to the Attorney General’s Office for a response to the accusations. The office sent the following statement:
“Public officials running for office are free to solicit campaign contributions from constituents and members of the public. Kentucky has a well-defined process for addressing allegations of improper activity of this kind, and we understand based on public reports that organizations allied with the Beshear campaign have asked the ethics commission to investigate the circumstances here. Attorney general Cameron and the office of the attorney general have the highest regard for the ethics rules. Any suggestion that the office of the attorney general has a duty to refer the matter for investigation is wholly unfounded.”
