Washington, DC — In a devastating blow to Daniel Cameron’s campaign, and a grim reflection of the injection of partisan politics into the Kentucky Attorney General’s office, The Daily Beast revealed how Cameron’s mismanagement and creation of a “toxic” work environment has pushed experienced and dedicated attorneys  to quit, weakening and politicizing the AG office.  “More than three years later, however, one of Cameron’s first personal projects bears a number of bruises, which multiple attorneys in his office can only chalk up to the influence of politics,” reported The Daily Beast.

What’s become clear: Daniel Cameron has failed as Kentucky’s Attorney General, and his would-be Republican successor Russell Coleman’s silence shows he’s not up to the job and that with Coleman as AG, Kentuckians could expect more of the same dysfunction. Why won’t Russell Coleman comment on Cameron’s mistakes overseeing the office that Coleman is seeking?

“But seven current and former career attorneys within that new division are now describing years of discord, derogation, and emotional abuse, which have gutted what they say was once a tight and effective team. The lawyers also questioned hiring practices that have injected politics into their ranks, as Cameron’s administration has turned to hand-picked special appointees to fill gaps when career attorneys depart.”

“In the three-plus years since Cameron was elected, the criminal appeals division has lost more than half of its career attorneys—also known as ‘merit’ attorneys, or, formerly, assistant attorneys general. Most of them either quit or retired early due to the work environment, the sources said.”

 “Two attorneys described Cameron independently as a ‘ghost,’ and most of these sources said they had never met him personally, marking that behavior as a stark contrast from prior AGs.”

 “‘He’s never there, doesn’t weigh in on our briefs, never says ‘hello,’ one attorney said. ‘We sometimes wonder who’s really running the show.’”

“‘At first we didn’t even know what [these special attorneys] were,’ one OAG attorney told The Daily Beast. ‘He was paying his buddies extremely high salaries, for what work I don’t know.’”

“‘Seemed like they were more interested in building CVs than doing what’s best for the State,’” another attorney remarked of the appointees.”

“‘I loved my job with previous AGs, and the mission was always the same: Do the right thing, be moral, be just, be brave. It was never ‘write this in this way because it’s the political position we want to take,’ another attorney said. ‘We were making the world a better place, and then it stopped.’”

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