The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the AFL-CIO filed the complaint that led to the current preliminary investigation by the Kentucky Executive Branch Ethics Commission. It alleges that in 2022, when he was running for governor, then-Attorney General Cameron contacted a health care provider who received Medicaid dollars and urged the provider to hold a campaign event and solicit contributions.
According to the allegations, Cameron made reference to overseeing Medicaid funds as AG during the communications with the provider, who is not named in the commission's documents.
The Leader reports a judge will be assigned to the ethics case. Should the commission find Cameron in violation, the maximum penalty would be a $5,000 fine.
But the politics are what would take center stage.
Today I was hit with a bogus charge by the governor’s ethics commission. This is pure political persecution.
— Daniel Cameron (@DanielCameronKY) May 14, 2025
I’m going to fight this just like I’ll continue fighting for the great people of this Commonwealth. Every single day. pic.twitter.com/hioE13O0D9
In an online post, Cameron criticized what he called "(Governor) Andy Beshear's ethics commission" for unveiling the case just months after he declared his candidacy for Sen. Mitch McConnell's Senate seat.
"They want to charge me with an ethics violation over a bogus two-year-old claim, for an investigation I recused from can campaign donations I refunded," he said in a brief video response.
Cameron described the move as "the definition of political persecution" and vowed a fight.