Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron's office has been hit with a series of complaints from employees about "cruel" and "demeaning" treatment by senior officials as he campaigns for governor.
Multiple employees have allegedly quit in response to the "hostile" environment, but The Daily Beast found through a public records request that Cameron's office took almost no action to respond to the complaints filed by an active-duty detective who is suing over alleged mistreatment by deputy attorney general Vic Maddox and deputy solicitor general for criminal appeals Jeffrey A. Cross.
“It is relentless,” wrote one attorney about Cross’ allegedly abusive behavior.
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One complaint submitted by an attorney in the office accused Cross of pitting employees against each other to sow mistrust, which the complaint says caused "numerous" workers to resign or retire, and another complaint accused Maddox of gender discrimination, "sabotage" and “threatening/intimidating/humiliating behavior.”
Cross was accused of "bullying" employees in his division and using personal information about them to criticize workers in front of their colleagues.
“He has made several people, including myself, cry hysterically and seek mental health assistance to deal with the toxic and hostile work environment,” one complaint alleged. “It was so bad that my direct supervisor, who was attending the meeting, checked on me afterward and told me it was brutal and he almost cried with me. I am not the only person who has been subjected to such behavior. Several people have quit. Several are struggling mentally and emotionally, including myself.”
Cameron's predecessor, former Kentucky attorney general Greg Stumbo, said his office never received complaints of that type, and he said swift action would be taken to ensure workers felt safe and treated fairly on the job.
“Those kinds of complaints — harassment, intimidating behavior — they have to raise concerns,” Stumbo. “If you don’t manage it appropriately, that stuff spreads like wildfire. I’ve seen it in my private capacity. It’s a cancer that has to be dealt with as soon as you see it, no matter who it is, be that my closest adviser or confidant. I wouldn’t put up with it.”
The complaint that led to a lawsuit last year accused the director of the office's cybercrimes unit of capturing "zoomed-in" photos of a detective's breast and other "immoral behavior," which caused the woman to fear for her safety in the workplace.
“The conduct that he has been engaging in has been slowly escalating to the point that I am fearful of physical violence,” the detective wrote in her complaint, saying her supervisor’s actions “mimic those of an abuser in a domestic violence situation.”
Cameron's office did not take action on the detective's allegations, finding only that the supervisor “should be reprimanded” for public intoxication and reminded him of the attorney general's expectations, but it's not clear whether that happened, and Cameron's office defended the response and said the claims "lacked merit."
“The Attorney General’s office has the utmost respect for its employees and takes all complaints seriously," said a spokesman for Cameron, who is the Republican nominee challenging Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear in November's election. "When a complaint is filed, the office investigates the matter and takes action when warranted. Every employee is also aware of the process for filing complaints with the Personnel Cabinet. We take these matters seriously and address them appropriately."
“Here, the office investigated the complaints and found that the first three complaints mentioned lacked merit," the spokesperson added.
