Ex-Kentucky governor's general counsel fretted about political optics of his end-of-term pardons: report

On Thursday, writing for The Courier-Journal, reporter Joe Sonka broke down the contents of 700 pages of FBI notes from their investigation into the last-minute pardons issued by former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin.

One of the takeaways, he wrote, was that Bevin's general counsel Steve Pitt — who resigned after reports over his involvement in recommending the pardon of a convicted child rapist — fretted over the optics of issuing pardons to people connected to powerful supporters of his campaign.

"The clemency recommendation for the applicant resembling Patrick Baker mentioned political support for Bevin. Some of the newly released documents did as well, weighing in on the political optics behind individual applicants," reported Sonka. "In the review for the applicant resembling Baker, Pitt wrote he 'is a brother of a political supporter and def. himself apparently worked hard in 2015,' adding that, 'I understand that is no reason for leniency.' Bevin went on to issue a full pardon and commutation for Baker, whose brother held a fundraiser at his Corbin home a year earlier to help retire Bevin's personal campaign debt. He and the governor were seen having a private meeting at the get-together."

Baker had been convicted and sentenced to 19 years for killing a man during a home invasion and robbery in Knox County.

Bevin, who lost re-election to then Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear in a close race in 2019, has faced outrage over the pardons. In one case, he claimed that a 9-year-old rape survivor must have lied because "her hymen was intact."