A Kentucky labor organization is calling for an ethics investigation into Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron for campaign donations received from a substance abuse treatment organization that his office is investigating.
The Kentucky AFL-CIO has requested that the state Executive Branch Ethics Commission investigate “circumstances surrounding” the donations made to Cameron, who is the GOP nominee for governor, from Edgewater Recovery Centers. The attorney general’s office launched an investigation against the organization last year.
Cameron received $7,600 from several Edgewater executives, but the money has since been refunded. He said he recused himself from the Edgewater investigation in May immediately after learning of the contributions.
“There were preliminary conversations about hosting an event,” Cameron said in a statement to the Associated Press. “Once we were made aware of a conflict, the event was canceled. When they later made online contributions, I recused myself and the contributions were refunded.”
Edgewater attorney Michael Denbow told the Associated Press that Cameron directly solicited donations for his gubernatorial campaign. A fundraiser was discussed between an Edgewater representative and Cameron’s campaign, but it never occurred, he said.
“I think Edgewater thought it was probably very prudent to make sure that they preserve their ability to work with whomever was successful in November … to help further Edgewater’s goals,” Denbow said.
Kentucky AFL-CIO President Bill Londrigan said in a news release on Tuesday that the situation raises “serious concerns” about Cameron’s compliance with campaign finance laws. He said it is ”appropriate, timely, and legally important” to begin an investigation into the Edgewater donations.
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Campaign donations have been a contentious topic during Kentucky’s gubernatorial race. Last week, Cameron asked the FBI to investigate a series of donations made to the Kentucky Democratic Party and Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D-KY) campaign. The governor’s campaign has since refunded over $200,000 in donations that it believed exceeded the limitations of campaign finance laws.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Londrigan and Cameron for comment on the donations and the AFL-CIO’s call for an investigation.
