SCOTT COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18/AP) — Damon Thayer, the Republican Senate Majority Floor Leader, is facing questions about a trip to London taken last summer with lobbyists and an Ohio speaker who recently resigned under a cloud.
A report by the Associate Press published April 17 noted that legislative leaders from several states joined Republican Ohio Speaker Cliff Rosenberger on the trip last August. Thayer, of Georgetown, was not mentioned in that article.
According to the AP, the event was sponsored and paid for by the GOPAC Education Fund’s Institute for Leadership Development. GOPAC works to elect Republicans to higher office.
Rosenberger quit in early April after facing ethics questions about travel, housing and other spending.
While Thayer was not mentioned in the original AP article, a photo later surfaced showing him among the attendees.
Brad Bowman, communications director for the Kentucky Democratic Party, shared it via tweet:
Hey, look everybody! There’s Damon @damon_thayer in a pic concerning an FBI probe. FBI investigation: Ohio speaker had private tours, stayed in 5-star hotel in London https://t.co/C8Xx0MYsVE via @enquirer
— Brad Bowman (@Bradleybowman) April 24, 2018
Louisville Insider reported here that Thayer responded via a statement confirming his attendance on the trip while emphasizing that tax money was not used.
Reached Wednesday, the Kentucky Republican Party declined comment, calling the trip a non-issue.
