How will audit into disaster relief funds impact upcoming Governor’s race?

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — As Attorney General Daniel Cameron and incumbent Andy Beshear are set to face off in November’s highly-anticipated Governor’s race, a special examination was called on Thursday into Governor Beshear’s disaster relief funds for Western and Eastern Kentucky, covering the dates of December 2021 through June 2023.

“You had an incident a couple of months ago where as far as we know, hundreds, maybe thousands of checks were mailed to people who were nowhere near the disaster zones in West Kentucky received checks,” says Tres Watson, a political consultant, who weighed in on the special examination set to take place.

Although some say it is necessary, on Thursday Governor Beshear was outspoken about the timing.

“Listen for somebody who was running for governor that is supporting the other candidate to announce an audit on something like this three months and two weeks before an election, we all have to admit that’s grossly political and we shouldn’t be doing it,” says Beshear in a Team Kentucky update after taking several questions from reporters.

Watson says the way the disaster relief funds were set up, was unusual.

“This is the 1st 1st time this has ever happened where the governor has established what’s supposed to be a charitable fund, not as a charity, not as a 501c affiliated with the IRS as a nonprofit, it’s essentially a line item in the finance cabinet. It’s never been done before. There’s a lot of questions as to why they chose to do it this way,” he adds.

Watson says the examination, and its findings will have an impact on the Governor’s race especially for Beshear.

“You have this incident, the unemployment system, juvenile justice system, the bulldozing of homes in East Kentucky before people can get their possessions out of them,” also said Watson.

Meantime, earlier in the week, Beshear’s opponent announced his running mate as State Senator Robby Mills.
Mills who has close ties to the western part of the statem, issuing the following statement that reads in part quote:

“As a state senator who represents Dawson Springs, I still talk to people today who didn’t get a relief check from Governor Beshear’s Team Kentucky Fund,” said State Senator and Lt. Governor nominee Robby Mills (R-Henderson). “Sending an unknown amount of private money raised for tornado victims to the wrong people is just wrong. It’s just wrong. His administration provided unsatisfactory answers in committee in June about their relief efforts. Kentuckians deserve better.  I was proud to carry a bipartisan bill to rebuild western Kentucky from the December 2021 tornadoes, which has resulted in real progress for west and western Kentucky. Whether it is the unemployment system, the Department of Juvenile Justice, or his Team Kentucky fund, Andy Beshear just isn’t up to the job. A Cameron-Mills Administration is.”

State Auditor Mike Harmon is recused from the special examination of the disaster relief funds.