Republican Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin said to investigate his Democratic predecessor Steve Beshear. He said on Tuesday that he is hiring private law firm to examine Beshar's illegal procurement practice.
ABC News reported that governor Matt Bevin said that the firm will assist the state's Finance Cabinet in scrutinizing no-bid contracts by the administration of former governor Steve Beshear. The law firm will also examine reports of state workers being forced to make political donations to Beshear. Under the state law, private firm have the power to subpoena witnessess and documents relevant to the alleged corruption investigation.
"Let's be clear: corruption and pay-to-play, or pay-to-stay, will not be tolerated in this administration," governor Bevin said to reporters.
In the oficial press release, Kentucky Governor further said, "Under KRS Chapter 45, such investigation will include the ability to subpoena witnesses and records as may be necessary to accomplish the investigative goals. A thorough, independent investigation like this can expose and cast light upon prior unsavory — and perhaps illegal — practices, but can also provide the public a degree of confidence in a fair and transparent governance that was so glaringly absent in the past administration."
Governor Bevin had been scrutinizing Beshear political activities, which started when Beshear appointed his wife to a state commission position. The political war continued to the field of Kentucky health care system, which Beshear criticize his successor's healthcare policies. Beshear also brings his family into the political battle, as his son, the attorney general Andy Beshear, sued governor Matt Bevin this month over mid-year budget cuts.
New York Times reported that Gov. Matt Bevin, who took office in December, had escalated his allegation of greed and oftentimes corruption to the Beshear family. Meanwhile, a former state official who is close to Beshears family, Timothy M. Longmeyer, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a federal bribery charge.
As a member of the cabinet in Steve Beshear administration, Longmeyer was responsible to drive health plan contracts for state employees to company which paid him kickbacks. He briefly served as deputy attorney general under Andy Beshear before resigning.
Defending his father, attorney general Andy Beshear released a statement that said the appropriate agency to investigate governor's allegation is the Kentucky Executive Branch Ethics Commission. He also accused governor Bevin to overstep his authority and wasting public money.
During his term as governor, Steve Beshear had established a government-funded health insurance and created a state-run insurance marketplace, Kynect, and expanding Medicaid eligibility. Although Beshear is popular, voters preferred Matt Bevin who vowed to pare the Medicaid expansion and established a more sustainable state's healthcare system.
On Tuesday, Matt Bevin, the Kentucky Governor will scrutinize Steve Beshear over illegal procurement practice. Gov. Bevin has hired private law firm which under state's law has authority to subpoena witnessess and documents.
