Ex-Gov. Matt Bevin defends flurry of pardons as Kentucky lawmakers call for investigation
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin attacked the "highly offensive and entirely false" reports that financial or political considerations played a part in his pardon decision-making in a blast of 20 tweets late Friday afternoon.
And he defended the methodology behind his 11th-hour flurry of pardons, tweeting that his decisions came after he read hundreds of pages of court records and spent hundreds of hours reading applications and files.
"Each case had its own set of facts, evidence, lack of evidence, supporting documents, reasons and unique details, most of which the arm-chair critics are not aware of," he said.
"Am I perfect? No... Never have been... But I did my very best, over many hours, days, weeks and years, to reach fair and just decisions."
The more than 400 pardons and commutations, issued after his loss in November to Democrat Andy Beshear, included low-level drug offenders, as well as a man who was convicted of raping a 9-year-old in Kenton County, another who hired a hit man to kill his business partner, a man who killed his parents and a man who beheaded a woman before stuffing her in a barrel.
19/20:
Good arguments could, in fact, be made to the contrary, based on what the earliest recipients of such actions have done with their lives in recent months and years...— Matt Bevin (@MattBevin) December 13, 2019
