KY Politics Insider: A trip to Mar-a-Lago & Comer, Beshear comment on Minnesota
Kentucky Politics Insider provides an analytical view of Kentucky politics and the conversations that drive decisions. Email me at ahorn@herald-leader.com or ping me on any one of the various social media sites with tips or comments.
Sen. Rand Paul was not the only Kentucky politician to make significant comments after the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota.
Rep. James Comer’s appearance on Fox News Sunday came at a pivotal moment for Republican messaging on the incident, which has been widely criticized on the left and some on the political right.
In the wake of Pretti’s killing, some members of President Donald Trump’s administration labeled him a “domestic terrorist” without any evidence and shifted blame onto Pretti for being shot.
“If I were President Trump, I would almost think about, OK, if the mayor and the governor are going to put our ICE officials in harm’s way and there’s a chance of losing more, you know, innocent lives or whatever, then maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide, ‘Do we want to continue to have all of these illegals,’” Comer said.
Trump liked it.
“Highly Respected Congressman Jamie Comer was GREAT in his interview this morning with Maria Bartiromo. He said it all concerning Minnesota, Deranged Jack Smith, and many other topics of interest,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “Jamie is doing a fantastic job!”
Comer’s comment was used as an example of the ways people in GOP circles tiptoe around outright criticizing the Trump administration, but still get their point across, in a recent POLITICO story. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, for instance, blamed advisers around Trump — not Trump himself — for the hardliner defenses of the agents.
Beshear’s comments on Minnesota
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear was very firm in his criticisms of how the federal government was handling the situation in Minnesota in an interview with CNN Monday — unsurprisingly more so than Comer.
Beshear homed in on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s statement that Pretti was a “domestic terrorist.”
“It is grossly irresponsible, it’s incredibly concerning, and listen: if you believe in our rights as Americans, you ought to be speaking up, and you ought to be upset at what’s going on,” Beshear said.
The governor proposed a complete withdrawal of agents from Minnesota and a “full-on retraining.”
“The first thing we have to do is demand that they pull these officers out of all of our cities and that they fully retrain every single one of them. They are operating with aggressive tactics that are not appropriate for law enforcement. They are not following our constitution and giving people their rights,” Beshear said.
A key backdrop to these comments is Beshear’s open consideration of a run for president in 2028.
Another POLITICO story published this month made the governor’s presidential aspirations even more clear.
“If people want to underestimate me, I’m used to it, and it drives me,” Beshear told the outlet when asked about a common Democratic “knock” on him that he doesn’t have the charisma to get the nomination.
Mr. Dotson goes to Florida
It’s commonplace for federal candidates to make the rounds in Washington, meeting with elected officials and representatives of the White House’s political team
But one Central Kentucky congressional candidate headed south instead of east this week.
Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester, was in Mar-a-Lago, the sprawling South Florida club owned by Trump, Tuesday . Dotson had political meetings scheduled there, according to someone familiar with his plans. Dotson is one of a few prominent Republicans running to replace Rep. Andy Barr in the Lexington-based 6th Congressional District, including former state Sen. Ralph Alvarado and Nicholasville businessman Greg Plucinski.
It’s unlikely Dotson’s visit intersected with Trump himself. The president’s public schedule shows that he has not been to Mar-a-Lago since Jan. 19. Still, plenty of people in the president’s orbit hang around the club throughout the year.
Dotson was not present for Tuesday’s session of the General Assembly.
McGarvey impeachment push
Kentucky’s lone Democrat in Congress has been harshly critical of the Department of Homeland Security throughout the Minnesota immigration crackdown.
In mid-January, McGarvey backed articles of impeachment against Noem, citing obstruction of Congress, violation of public trust and self-dealing.
“ICE is committing atrocities in communities across the country every single day,” McGarvey said. “In a long list of failures to protect public safety and her lies, self-dealing, and corruption; ICE murdered Renee Good, and Secretary Noem defended it.
“It’s well past time to impeach her and cut DHS off from the taxpayer dollars they are using to fund a terror campaign against our own neighbors,” McGarvey wrote in a press release.
The 3rd Congressional District representative’s enmity toward the agency only grew with time.
In a recent post to X, McGarvey made clear he would not vote to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is seen as a sticking point that could possibly lead to another government shutdown.
“ICE is executing Americans and terrorizing our communities. And Trump is asking for a blank check to continue funding this campaign of terror. I voted NO, and every member of the Senate should too. Not another dollar for ICE,” McGarvey wrote.
McGarvey doesn’t feel that way about all Republicans, though. The congressman made a notable appearance alongside Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, on the first episode of a podcast hosted by University of Louisville President Gerry Bradley.
McGarvey and Stivers were colleagues for several years when the congressman served in the state Senate.
