FRANKFORT, Ky. _ Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear spoke out against former Gov. Matt Bevin's controversial pardons Monday, decrying the pardon of a man Beshear worked to convict as attorney general and criticizing Bevin for failing to talk with the families of victims.
Unlike several Republican lawmakers, the Democratic governor stopped short of calling for a criminal investigation of pardons issued by his Republican predecessor. Beshear said he wanted to let prosecutors "determine the next steps."
In particular, lawmakers have called for an investigation of the pardon of Charles Baker, whose brother and sister-in-law held a fundraiser for Bevin in 2018 and donated $4,000 to Bevin. Baker was convicted of reckless homicide, robbery, impersonating a peace officer and tampering with evidence in Knox County in 2017.
Beshear, though, did not rule out issuing future pardons to people whose families have donated to him, though he pledged to never issue a pardon because of political donations.
"There are lots of people who have donated across Kentucky," Beshear said. "I can guarantee that there will never be a pardon that is made because of a political donation."
Bevin has said Baker's pardon had nothing to do with the donation or fundraiser, calling the accusations "highly offensive and entirely false."
Bevin has been criticized by prosecutors and families of victims after he issued hundreds of pardons and commutations during his final days in office, including pardons for several people convicted of homicide. In many cases, prosecutors said neither they, nor victims' families, were contacted by Bevin.
"What we forget in some of these talks with the dynamics that have been reported that the most important person in any crime isn't the perpetrator," Beshear said. "Now they need to be brought to justice, but the most important person involved in any crime is the victim. We have to understand that the victim isn't just the individual harmed, it's their family members, sometimes it's the entire community."
Beshear said he is still wading through the documents Bevin left behind, but focused his comments on the commutation for Dayton Jones, of Hopkinsville, who was one of four men convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old at a party in 2014. Beshear called the crime a "gang rape" and said he was disturbed that Jones had his sentence commuted from 15 years in prison to time served.
"We ultimately prosecuted that case, where individuals so violently harmed one of their classmates that passed out at a party that he needed lifesaving surgery and then somebody videotaped it and sent it around online and in his school," Beshear said.
The attorney general's office reached a plea deal so the victim and his family would not have to go through the trauma of testifying in court, he said.
Bevin did not provide a justification for why he commuted the sentence in his executive order.
In a Twitter thread Friday, Bevin responded to the outcry over his pardons, saying he didn't think any community was made more or less safe after his actions.
"Am I perfect? No ... Never have been ... But I did my very best, over many hours, days, weeks and years, to reach fair and just decisions ... " Bevin said. "Not one person receiving a pardon would I not welcome as a co-worker, neighbor, or to sit beside me or any member of my family in a church pew or at a public event."
Beshear said he would be willing to talk to lawmakers about restricting when a governor can issue a pardon, as some have proposed, but wouldn't commit to specifics.
"My hope is that in the future, all governors will display the type of judgment that prevents us from seeing what we have seen," Beshear said. "What you will also get is an explanation of the reasons behind any of the pardons that we ultimately give because there needs to be transparency in this process as well."
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