FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — During a news conference billed as a discussion on economic and public safety concerns facing Louisville, Republican State Sen. Damon Thayer accused Gov. Andy Beshear of ignoring acts of violence in the city.
"The Governor rarely addresses it in his daily briefing," Thayer said. "It's almost as if by his silence that he's condoning this kind of behavior."
Along with other Republican state senators, including Senate President Robert Stivers, Thayer criticized Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer for his response to COVID-19 and ongoing protests.
"The one opportunity we've had in a public forum to question the mayor, he punted," Thayer said.
The news conference was held 30 minutes before the governor's daily briefing, during which he learned about Thayer's comments.
"You gotta be kidding me," Beshear reacted. "Apparently, Senate leadership just said because I haven't talked about carjacking in my press conference, I condone carjackings and violence. Absolutely not. I'm against all forms of violence."
"I'm standing up here asking people to be kind every day and to look out for one another," he continued.
Although the governor bristled at Thayer's comments, he did appear amenable to one idea that came out of the Republican senators' news conference: a potential special session to address police reform.
