Mass Pardon In Kentucky A Political Favor? Outgoing Governor May Be Under FBI Scanner

The former Republican governor or Kentucky, Matt Bevin, appears to be under investigation by the FBI after issuing a number of pardons to convicted criminals, including rapists and murders.

More than 650 convicts were either pardoned or had their sentences commuted by Bevin during his last days in office. The pardon issued to Patrick Baker, convicted of reckless homicide and robbery, became most controversial because his brother once hosted a fundraiser for Bevin’s reelection campaign. Bevin was also lobbied by a top Republican donor to issue a pardon for Baker.

State Rep. Chris Harris (D-Forest Hills) told reporters that an investigator recently contacted him about Bevin’s pardons, though he was not willing to disclose the details of that conversation, according to the Courier Journal. “The impression I got is that there was an investigation ramping up,” Harris said.

Two other sources confirmed to the Courier Journal that Harris was contacted. While Harris did not say which agency reached out to him, those sources said the call came from an FBI agent. The FBI has declined to comment on whether it was investigating Bevin’s pardons.

State Sen. Morgan McGarvey (D-Louisville), who originally said the pardons warranted investigation, has said that he’s also been contacted by investigators. “It's clear there was political favoritism involved in these pardons. We have got to find out if the pardon power was abused and possibly sold to restore the public's trust in the system.”

It’s not just Democrats questioning Bevin’s mass pardons. Several Republican state lawmakers in Kentucky questioned the outgoing governor’s actions. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has also said that he doesn’t support some of Bevin’s choices for pardon, including Baker.

Bevin has roundly rejected any accusations that his pardons were done as political favors and has said that he will welcome any investigation. He has gone so far as to imply that those making the accusations may have something to worry about. “If the truth comes out, there will be people involved in this process on the other side of the equation that have very good reason to be very concerned right now. And some of them are the loudest people right now, and for good reason,” Bevin said.

The pardon of 41-year-old Micah Schoettle has also come into question. Schoettle was convicted of raping a 9-year-old, but Bevin has said that he found the conviction “sloppy at best” because the victim’s hymen was not damaged during the assault.

Bevin was defeated in his bid for reelection by Democrat Andy Beshear, who was recently inaugurated into office.