Ex-Gov. Bevin must explain report that says he abandoned adopted child in Jamaica | Opinion
Way back in 2018, former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin tried to (illegally and secretly) gut the teacher pension system.
When teachers came out to protest what became known as the “sewer bill” in massive numbers, Bevin accused them of abetting child sexual abuse.
“I guarantee you somewhere in Kentucky today, a child was sexually assaulted that was left at home because there was nobody there to watch them,” he said, adding he guaranteed a child was “physically assaulted or ingested poison because they were home alone because a single parent didn’t have any money to take care of them.”
That was the first thing I remembered when I read the London Times story about how the Bevins had allegedly sent one of their four adopted Ethiopian children to a disciplinary school in Jamaica that was little more than an abusive hellhole where children were tortured, starved and then abandoned.
The “troubled teen” industry is a lucrative one for grifters, apparently.
Bevin’s child, now 17, was a ward of the Jamaican state, according to the investigation, because his parents never showed up for court proceedings. The Kentucky Lantern reported that he was no longer in Jamaica.
The London Times is a serious, reputable news organization. They wouldn’t have printed such accusations without considerable diligence. Nonetheless, if this is true or if there is some other explanation, the Bevins need to speak.
Bevin’s lawyer, Jesse Mudd, did not respond to a call for comment. Mark Dobbins, a Louisville lawyer representing Glenna Bevins in their divorce proceedings, declined to comment.
This story triggered some other memories of Bevin. Amid the braggadocio he exhibited during his sole term, his only saving grace appeared to be his desire to improve the foster care and adoption systems in Kentucky.
Of course, being Bevin, he chose a Baptist preacher as adoption czar, who was paid $240,000 a year in a no-bid contract.
That guy left without explanation, and Bevin hired some more Baptist preachers — from Florida — to save us in 2018. Then Bevin lost the election, and we found out about a lot of other bad stuff, like pardons for political donations, but not much more about fixing adoptions.
A lot of politicians these days project their own foibles and fears onto their opponents, but surely nothing quite as sick and tortured as this appears to be. Projection and irony.
Remember, part of Bevin’s zeal was the fact that in 2012, Kentucky state officials turned down the Bevins’ desired adoption of a girl in social care. So they flew off to Ethiopia and brought home four more.
Now Bevin, who wants so much to be relevant that he played a little strip tease last year about running for governor, is nowhere to be found. (He decided not to file, but still gave an annoying lecture about everything that he would fix).
He and Glenna are in the middle of a contentious divorce, complicated by the unsurprising news that he insists on coming to her house (probably to give more annoying little lectures).
But both Bevins owe Kentucky, their children, and especially their adopted son a candid explanation of what happened here, If this is true, and it’s been published since July 13 without any denials by the Bevins, then we need to know how self-proclaimed, self-righteous Christians and parents could behave in such a reprehensible way.
“This is nothing unusual for Matt Bevin — it’s so rage-inducing, but it’s not shocking to anyone who listened to him,” said Nema Brewer, one of the leaders of the teacher protests back in 2018.
“This is the same man who went on TV and radio and trashed educators across the state, because they were expressing their First Amendment rights, and he sent his own kid to a child labor camp. I’m not really sure if Kentuckians understand how grateful they should be to educators for pushing him out of office and out of influence in this state.”
One of the worst parts of the heartrending article is from the court hearing to claim the children from the abusive school, which was raided by Jamaican authorities.
“No one is here for the three adopted boys,” writes reporter Decca Aitkenhead. “Noah, the former Kentucky governor’s son, is unsurprised. I ask why he thinks Bevin adopted him. ‘Public image,’ he mutters.”
Bevin’s public image had already fallen on hard times in Kentucky, but it seems poised to go down further. Regardless, he needs to explain this tragic saga, and if he and Glenna won’t do it, then his current employer, Neuronetrix, should demand one.
His birth children should demand one.
Kentuckians should demand one.
If public servants who wear their Christianity as a shield and sword cut down their own children, they deserve nothing but shame.
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 10:27 AM.
