DGA: “Years of Discord, Derogation, and Emotional Abuse”: Inside Daniel Cameron’s Office

DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION

A new report from The Daily Beast reveals shocking new details about the conduct in the Office of the Attorney General under Daniel Cameron’s absent and failed leadership. 

The report documents the experiences of “seven current and former career attorneys” who described Cameron’s office and his chosen leadership as “emotionally abusive,” “toxic,” and “relentless” – even leading to the resignation of one of Cameron’s top staffers and chief bullies but only after the Daily Beast started asking questions. 

According to the report, Cameron’s lack of action led two different attorneys to independently describe him as a “ghost,” with one attorney questioning “we sometimes wonder who’s really running the show.”

Years of the toxic work environment led to the loss of “more than half of [the OAG’s criminal appeals division] career attorneys,” with sources citing “the work environment” for their departure. 

The report also details the frustrations from civil servants who saw the growing politicization of the office under Cameron’s leadership, claiming “he was paying his buddies extremely high salaries, for what work I don’t know,” and that it “seemed like they were more interested in building CVs than doing what’s best for the State.” 

Others agreed, claiming they were inappropriately instructed to take political positions, and the mission of “do the right thing, be moral, be just, be brave” and “making the world a better place” was no longer the goal under Cameron’s leadership. 

This new report follows previous reporting from The Daily Beast that exposed Cameron and his office for creating a “hostile,” “cruel,” “threatening,” and “demeaning” work environment.

“If this is how Daniel Cameron runs his current office, how can Kentuckians trust him to be governor?,” said DGA States Press Secretary Emma O’Brien. “Cameron allowed toxic workplace abusers to have free reign in his office, and it led to the loss of countless civil servants who just wanted to do the right thing on behalf of the people of Kentucky. The damage Cameron has caused this office will take years to recover from, but Kentuckians won’t let him cause the same damage to the Governor’s office.”