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Kentucky Dems say Bevin's Trump fundraiser violates law

Posted at 5:41 AM, Aug 21, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-21 05:41:17-04

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — After his speech before the AMVETS convention, President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear Wednesday at a private fundraiser for Gov. Matt Bevin in Louisville.

The fundraiser is for Bevin's re-election campaign, which has drawn an official complaint from the Kentucky Democratic Party.

Trump and Bevin's relationship is anything but private.

In a statement last week, Bevin's campaign manager touted the governor's relationship with the president, saying in part "the Trump-Bevin economy has created more than 55,000 jobs, leading to the lowest unemployment in Kentucky history. The governor looks forward to furthering that partnership as they continue to work together to move Kentucky forward."

But some argue that Wednesday's campaign event is the governor literally cashing in on his relationship with the president.

The Kentucky Democratic Party has filed a complaint accusing Bevin of violating campaign finance laws.

At issue is the invitation. The KDP says that it asks guests to donate to Bevin's 2015 campaign, the election he won four years ago.

The KDP says that will allow Bevin to pocket all of that cash to cover personal loans he made to his 2015 campaign.

In addition to the donation, according to a copy of an invitation supplied by KDP the lowest-priced tickets for the event are $2,000 per person.