Kentucky lawmakers are getting form letters asking them to impeach Andy Beshear
Lawmakers in Frankfort are receiving emailed form letters calling on them to impeach Governor Andy Beshear over his COVID-19 restrictions.
The emails begin by saying Beshear is infringing on the rights of citizens and that it is necessary for him to be impeached.
“The people of the commonwealth deserve leadership that abides by constitutional law, not a dictator who uses executive powers he does not have,” the letter says. “For the good of our beloved commonwealth, we request that the Kentucky General Assembly thoroughly review Governor Beshear’s actions, and prosecute him as necessary.”
The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled unanimously this month that Beshear has the constitutional right to issue executive orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and rejected a lower court’s attempt to block the Democratic governor’s orders.
There is no movement among lawmakers to impeach Beshear. When asked about the emails, Rep. Adam Koenig, R-Erlanger, said he was ignoring them and that he does not believe Beshear should be impeached.
“Elections have consequences,” Koenig said.
Beshear’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
At least one email obtained by the Herald-Leader matches a form letter set up by the American Family Association of Kentucky, a conservative group run by conservative activist Frank Simon, that is anti-abortion rights and anti-LGBT rights.
The letter suggests Beshear has committed four impeachable offenses: putting thousands of people out of work, preventing religious gatherings, preventing people from peaceably assembling and mandating that people wear masks.
Simon has helped organize and attended protests of Beshear’s orders at the Kentucky State Capitol this year. Simon’s protest brought in at least one preacher from Tennessee. Less than 20 people attended the protest he organized. No one prevented the protest.
The letters come as Beshear has unveiled a new wave of restrictions in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19. The restrictions include temporarily closing indoor seating in restaurants and limiting private, indoor gatherings to no more than two households and less than eight people.
The American Family Association of Kentucky did not return a phone call requesting comment.
Kentucky House Republican leaders ratcheted up their criticism of Beshear Friday, repeating their criticism that legislative leaders were excluded from formulating emergency COVID-19 regulations.
While House Republicans did not present a plan for how they would attempt to limit the virus, Speaker Pro Tempore David Meade, R-Stanford, said Beshear’s restrictions have been “arbitrary” and that House GOP leaders believe “Kentuckians can take care of themselves with appropriate information.”
He also said the governor has gone too far in telling people “what you can do in your own private homes,” referring to Beshear’s order to limit indoor gatherings.
Instead of legislation regarding restrictions, lawmakers are working on legislation that would limit the governor’s ability to impose executive orders during a state of emergency without legislative input. Meade and House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, provided no specifics about their legislation.
Rep. Steve Rudy of Paducah, who was elected this week to be House majority floor leader, said the House also will look carefully at how Beshear has spent money to fight the virus.
