Steve Beshear responds to Fletcher claims at KET debate.

Beshear/Mongiardo Respond to Fletcher's Claims at KET Debate

Time: 8:04 & 8:08

Fletcher Rhetoric:

Compare that to Steve Beshear's Kentucky Enron and where you have a report of experts, as well as an expert law firm, give the opinion that he broke the contract and two ethical rules and not only that but that report was hidden for twelve years. It's interesting that it was hidden by the same judge who is working for him now. Steve Beshear made a great deal of money out of that…Let me say the report was fairly clear there were some breaches of the contract another firm looked at it and called it malpractice. Said there were ethical breaches. Why do you hide a report if there is nothing wrong and the same judge that is coming out now, Steve, is the same judge that signed off and said yes this report is accurate as these were done you were taken off the case, fired, and you said you did not even remember that, you said you did not remember the investigation.

REALITY

Herald Leader: Beshear's Law Firm Rescued Victims, Recovered $300 Million. According to a Herald Leader editorial subtitled, "Candidate's old law firm rescued victims of insurer's collapse," "Beshear, the Democratic nominee for governor, had nothing to do with the collapse of this once-proud Lexington company…Beshear was part of the legal force that chased the real culprits through the courts…Altogether, more than $300 million has been recovered and returned to policyholders and creditors."
[Herald Leader, 7/8/07]

Media Agrees: Investigative Report Cleared Beshear.

• State Journal: "There was no conflict on Beshear's part, the report…found." [ State Journal, 10/9/07]
• Courier Journal : "Voters may safely ignore the Kentucky Central issue…As campaign ammunition, Kentucky Central is no cannonball. It's a dud." [Courier Journal, 10/9/07]
• WHAS Reporter Mark Hebert: "The 12-year-old investigative report on Stites and Harbison's conflict of interest in the Kentucky Central Life Insurance liquidation has produced no 'smoking gun' that Steve Beshear did anything wrong,"
Associated Press: "Beshear Not Responsible for Kentucky Central Conflict." "The Cincinnati law firm of Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur, which compiled the report, concluded that neither Beshear nor any other Stites & Harbison attorney working on the Kentucky Central case were involved in or responsible for the conflict of interest."
Independent Judge and Fletcher Supporter: No Ethical Problems by Beshear or Stites.

• "[Judge Richard Revell] said from what he recalled, he 'absolutely did not' find any ethical problems on the part of Beshear," according to the Courier Journal. [Courier Journal, 9/26/07]
• "Retired Jefferson County Circuit Judge Richard Revell, who was brought into the Kentucky Central case specifically to look into the actions of Beshear and his former law firm, has also dismissed the matter, recently calling it 'a dead issue,'" according to the Associated Press. "It's up to the Kentucky Supreme Court to decide whether an attorney has violated any ethical codes, and that hasn't happened in this situation, said Revell, a Republican who says he supports Fletcher. 'For someone to be using it as a campaign allegation, it's meaningless in my mind,' Revell said. [Associated Press, 10/13/07]
• "Richard Revell…said yesterday that the state GOP needs to abort its line of attack," according to a Courier Journal article entitled "Judge: Beshear acted ethically." "It has absolutely no merit," Revell said. "They have gotten themselves into a position that is totally insupportable." [Courier Journal, 10/10/07]• "Revell said…he 'came to the conclusion that there was no ethics violation by Stites & Harbison.'" [Herald Leader, 10/10/07]

Time: 8:13

Fletcher Rhetoric:

I don't think Steve is aligned with the values of the people of Kentucky. You look at his stand on abortion and the fact that a child wasn't recognized as having Constitutional rights until it was born and the partial-birth abortion issue.

REALITY

Beshear Voted for Abortion Restrictions. As a state legislator, Steve Beshear voted for a law adding numerous restrictions on abortions including: parental consent for minors; requirement that doctors inform woman of potential physical and mental consequences of abortion; a ban on abortions after the first trimester except in cases where the life or health of the mother is at stake; and fines and jail penalties for doctors and any persons who violate the law. [SB 259, 3/20/74, 80-7]

Time: 8:14

Fletcher Rhetoric:

You look at his gun stances now, back then he was for gun control and now he's says that he's for gun rights and what you find is an individual who is out of step with Kentucky values.

REALITY

Beshear Has A Rating from NRA. Steve Beshear and Dan Mongiardo have received an A rating from the National Rifle Association.

Time: 8:15

Fletcher Rhetoric:

I think there's a real question there when you're signing a legal document, and you put down that you have an individual spouse when its two males uh and the constitution forbids marriage and spouse, I think it was a representative I don't think it was Steve personally that signed that we don't sign our own finance reports but I think that bears the question I think the people need to know out here if he recognizes that on his campaign finance report.

REALITY

Beshear Believes Marriage Is Between Man and Woman. "Actually, Beshear didn't sign his spending report, his campaign treasurer did," said the WHAS 11 Blog. "Beshear has said he supports marriage between a man and a woman."