Employees allege 'hostile,' 'cruel' and 'demeaning' culture inside GOP Kentucky AG’s office: report

Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron hopes to unseat Democrat Andy Bashear as the Bluegrass State's next governor, but "his office is fielding serious employee complaints describing 'hostile,' 'cruel,' 'threatening,' and 'demeaning' treatment from senior officials" that contains "allegations that one unit director took 'zoomed in' photos of a detective's breast," The Daily Beast's Roger Sollenberger reports.

Despite "multiple resignations" amongst staff, "Cameron's office has taken little if any action in response to the complaints, which The Daily Beast received from a public records request," Sollenberger writes.

"The one outlier appears to have been the case of the inappropriate photos, in which an investigation found in February that the woman’s supervisor 'should be reprimanded' for public intoxication. The office investigated her claims, but appears to have taken no action on her other six allegations," Sollenberger continues. "The woman who brought that complaint—an active-duty detective employed in the office of the attorney general (OAG)—is suing Cameron and his office for employment discrimination, hostile work conditions, and workers' compensation retaliation, according to filings in Franklin County district court."

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Beyond that, Sollenberger reveals a pattern of "relentless" abusive behavior occurring under Cameron's watch, including accounts that "two top Cameron officials—Deputy AG Vic Maddox and deputy solicitor general for criminal appeals Jeffrey A. Cross—are accused of routine mistreatment."

Legal briefs describe "an office out of control, streaked with fear and suspicion, where workers are routinely degraded and supervisors not only ignore the complaints but are often at the center of them," Sollenberger says. "One complaint, submitted by an attorney in Cameron's office, noted that Cross treated workers in a 'demeaning, unprofessional manner' and would 'pit employees against each other,' sowing internal mistrust. Cross' tactics, this attorney claimed, had caused 'numerous attorneys and administrative staff members' to resign or retire. A separate complaint, which the OAG's then-communications director filed against Maddox this spring, cites gender discrimination against women, conflict with another top official, 'sabotage' of official duties, and 'threatening/intimidating/humiliating behavior.'"

After the communications director alleged that Maddox "'had been threatening, demeaning, intimidating, humiliating, and highly disrespectful' to her, and displayed 'favoritism' by 'promoting men over roles assigned to women,'" Cameron "called her personally," Sollenberger explains.

Although Cameron "apologized on behalf of Vic and urged" her "not to quit," Sollenberger notes, "It's unclear if Cameron took any disciplinary action against Maddox" because "Maddox remains the deputy AG."

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View Sollenberger's article at this link (subscription required).