01:02 AM EDT on Friday, May 12, 2006

Governor Ernie Fletcher has been indicted by the Merit Hiring Grand Jury on charges of conspicacy to commit politcal discrimination. This is culmination of months of investigation by the Attorney General, Greg Stumbo and a blanket pardon from Governor Fletcher. It should be noted that the pardon does not include the governor.

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Fletcher is the twelfth person indicted in this hiring investigation.

Eleven current or former members of the Fletcher administration have been indicted for violating state personnel laws.

In August, Fletcher issued a blanket pardon for everyone who was indicted or who would be in the future. At that time, Fletcher said the pardon would not cover himself.

“Well, let me say that I’ve said from the very beginning, you know this thing has been conducted in a very politically charged way," said Governor Fletcher in response to the indictment. "My conscience is clear and let me say to the people of Kentucky, we’ve worked very hard to make sure we do everything to move this sate forward. I’m very disappointed, but we will continue to move forward. I’m not gonna let this distract me from moving this state forward.”

WHAS11 will keep you updated as this story progresses.

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From The Associated Press:

Fletcher involved in mess of his own

By ROGER ALFORD / Associated Press Writer

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Gov. Ernie Fletcher ran for office on a promise that he would "clean up the mess in Frankfort." Now, the first-term Republican has a mess of his own to deal with.

A special grand jury on Thursday indicted Fletcher on charges that he illegally rewarded political supporters with state jobs.

If convicted, Fletcher, an ordained Baptist minister whose squeaky-clean image propelled him into the governor's mansion two and a half years ago, could be removed from office and even sent to jail. If exonerated, however, he would be seen as a victim of political persecution whose stock with voters skyrockets overnight, said Kendra Stewart, a political scientist at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond.

"If the charges are dismissed or he's not found guilty, then it will look like nasty politics," Stewart said. "The public doesn't generally like it when they think that people are being persecuted for political motives."

The indictment charges Fletcher with criminal conspiracy, official misconduct and violating a prohibition against political discrimination. He contends the charges are politically motivated by Attorney General Greg Stumbo, who is widely considered a potential Democratic challenger in next year's gubernatorial election.

"My conscience is clear, and I hope the people of Kentucky understand the true nature of this," Fletcher told reporters Thursday evening.

Stumbo spoke briefly with reporters while leaving his office Thursday, saying that Fletcher is "entitled to his due process of law rights, he's entitled to be presumed innocent until proven guilty."

"Certainly, it's disappointing," Fletcher's chief of staff, Stan Cave, said. "It makes for a tough day, but also it defines the environment that we're in, and how badly change is needed in this state."

Cave said the whole saga is Kentucky politics at its worst. "As one party tries to move this state forward, the other party goes on a path of destruction, and this is not productive for the citizens of this state," he said.

For the last year, a special grand jury has been investigating whether the Fletcher administration broke state law by basing personnel decisions on political considerations.

The grand jury issued 14 indictments under seal on Thursday. That is along with 13 other current and former administration officials and associates previously indicted on misdemeanor counts.

One former administration official, former state highway engineer Sam Beverage, also was indicted on Thursday for perjury in connection with his testimony to the grand jury last August. Fletcher Press Secretary Brett Hall said the indictment will pose a problem politically for Stumbo, not Fletcher.

"Where will it go? Who knows? "They are totally without any adult supervision over there," Hall said, referring to the attorney general's office.

Fletcher has been a fighter pilot, a physician, a preacher and a congressman, and appeared undaunted by news of the indictment when he arrived late Thursday at the Capitol City Airport from a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Ashland.

As he departed the airport, he told reporters it was his wife's birthday and that he was going to celebrate. She is 54.

Fletcher's interest in politics began to grow in the wake of Boptrop, the federal code name for an undercover investigation in the early 1990s that sent a long list of state legislators to prison for bribery and influence peddling.

After stints in the General Assembly and Congress, Fletcher became the first Republican elected governor in Kentucky since 1967. He has said he intends to seek re-election next year. And he still has a shot, Stewart said.

"It all depends on how it turns out," she said. "If Fletcher is convicted, it's a big coup for Stumbo and the Democratic Party. if Fletcher turns out to be innocent, it could have a negative backlash on the Democratic Party."

Larry Forgy, a Fletcher supporter who once ran for governor himself, said the political reaction to the indictment will favor Fletcher.

"The absurdity is that this will be a trial in district court," Forgy said. "... And it is brought by the governor's principal opponent in the 2007 election.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

APTV-05-11-06 2322EDT