FRANKFORT, Ky. — She's suing him and has been dropped from the ticket, but Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Jenean Hampton says she supports Matt Bevin's reelection bid.
Her comments followed the first time she faced the governor's attorneys in court in a lawsuit claiming her staffers were illegally fired.
It was a unique perspective for Governor Bevin's general counsel in Judge Phillip Shepherd's courtroom--not facing Attorney General Andy Beshear, rather this time it was Lieutenant Governor Jenean Hampton and her attorney on the other side.
“This is what we would consider a minor disagreement among two friends in this particular lawsuit,” said Stephen Pitt, general counsel to Governor Bevin.
Hampton responded, calling the situation an insult.
“My friends don't treat me this way, I'll just say that,” Hampton said.
Two of her staffers, Steve Knipper and Adrienne Southworth, sat in the galley as Hampton's attorney argued that only Hampton had the authority to hire and fire.
Judge Shepherd pointed out that he was having a hard time finding statutory evidence to back up the claim and Governor Bevin's general counsel pounced, showing an executive order appointing Hampton's chief of staff and an email from Hampton's office to the governor's office requesting the chief of staff get a pay raise.
Judge Shepherd said he needed more time to rule and requested both sides get together in the next week to see if they can sort things out on their own. The governor's attorney said the governor's schedule just won’t let him meet with the lieutenant governor's staff, but someone in authority will.
But it was the interview afterwards that many will remember from this day in court, which included a question about whether Jenean Hampton supports the governor's reelection bid despite being bumped off the ticket.
“Oh, absolutely I support his reelection, but I will say that he's got to get out there and make the case for himself. I have not been asked to campaign for him at all,” Hampton said.
Hampton also addressed what she meant by a tweet in May shortly after her deputy Adrienne Southworth was let go in which she called on supporters to “Pray for me as I battle dark forces.”
“Well at the time I tweeted that right after Adrienne was let go and I had no clue who was behind this and it certainly smacks of vindictiveness. I didn’t know who decided this, who did this, how this happened, and so certainly, yes, I’m fighting dark forces because who in their right mind would decide it’s a good thing to leave a sitting, active Lieutenant Governor with one staffer and carve off the people who were instrumental in helping her serve Kentucky.”