Senator Westerfield’s Statement on Andy Beshear’s Prior Work Defending Sexual Abusers
HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. — Today, State Senator Whitney Westerfield learned along with the rest of the Commonwealth that Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear once defended the conduct of alleged child sexual abusers by accusing the victims of delaying their reporting of the abuse.
The Lexington Herald-Leader investigated a case from Paducah involving Beshear as a private attorney successfully getting claims from sexual assault victims thrown from the court system, never having the merits of the case heard before a jury, by blaming the victims for an ‘inexcusable delay’ in bringing their claims to light.
“All advocates for sexual assault victims know too well the blame that is cast on the innocent. The hypocrisy of Andy Beshear has reached a new level.”
Westerfield has served as chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Judiciary since his election to the Senate in 2012, and narrowly lost to Andy Beshear in the race for Attorney General in 2015.
“Even the Herald-Leader in 2015 argued that Beshear should have released his client list, though he never did. This is precisely the reason why. Kentucky voters were cheated out of knowing all the facts about Andy’s work history and his thoughts toward sexual assault victims,” said Westerfield. “Now he would have the people trust him again as a candidate for Governor. He’s a disgrace to the office, should be ashamed of his hypocrisy, and most importantly, owes an apology to survivors and victims of sexual abuse.”
As an attorney, Westerfield has experience prosecuting criminals and working with law enforcement. As a senator, he sponsored Senate Bill 200 in 2014 which brought about the largest reform to Kentucky’s juvenile justice system in 30 years. He is also committed to developing services and resources that protect victims of crime, including the push for Marsy’s Law, which would enshrine rights for crime victims in Kentucky’s Constitution.
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