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Governor To Armed Militia Groups And Vandals "Kentucky Will Not Be Bullied"

On Monday, during his regular Coronavirus press briefing, Governor Andy Beshear again condemned the violence at the U.S. Capitol last week and a rally that took place at the Kentucky Capitol on Saturday. While no one was injured here in Kentucky, one protestor armed with a weapon and zip ties told reporters he had them “just in case.” The Governor called it a clear message to attempt to intimidate some lawmakers and staff. Zip ties were taken into the U.S. Capitol by rioters shouting “Kill Mike Pence” last Wednesday. Beshear said “We here in Kentucky will not be bullied.”   

The Governor also denounced vandalism that occurred at Dr. Steven Stack’s home. Someone had spray painted “COVID is PCR fraud” on the mailbox. (PCR refers to the most accurate COVID-19 test) Beshear called the act “the lowest of the low.”

For more than 10-months Dr. Steven Stack has been one of the Governor’s top advisors amid the pandemic and has led Kentucky’s efforts to slow the spread of the virus. And since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is now underway, Stack is also tasked with getting vaccines into the arms of Kentuckians as quickly as possible. Beshear said “The Commonwealth of Kentucky owes Dr. Stack a real debt for his incredible public service in helping to guide us through this pandemic.”

Vandals have also targeted Senior Senator Mitch McConnell’s residence over stimulus payments. Earlier this month his Louisville home was spray painted with the phrases “weres (sic) my money”, “Mitch kills the poor” and one with more colorful language. Beshear also spoke out against that incident calling it unacceptable and tweeting "While the First Amendment protects our freedom of speech, vandalism is reprehensible and never acceptable for any reason” and Republican Party of Kentucky spokesman Mike Lonergan said "Vandalism is reprehensible and there's no place in our politics for acts like this.”

Lexington police are investigating.