Breonna Taylor Grand Jurors Among Petitioners Seeking to Impeach Kentucky AG

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron speaks to the media during a press conference in Frankfort, Kentucky, on Sept. 23, 2020. Jon Cherry/Getty Images

A group of Kentuckians that includes three grand jurors from the Breonna Taylor case on Jan. 22 filed a petition to impeach the state’s attorney general.

According to a statement announcing the petition, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a Republican, is accused of having incited an insurrection by financing, directing, and permitting robocalls that called for marching to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

A group linked to the Republican Attorneys General Association sent the robocall that said, in part, “We will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal.” Cameron told reporters recently that he wasn’t aware of the robocall, which didn’t call for violence.

Former President Donald Trump was impeached this month for incitement of insurrection over a speech he gave on Jan. 6. Trump hadn’t finished speaking before violence began at the U.S. Capitol building, eventually culminating in forced entry into the building, the destruction of various rooms, and theft of items including several computers.

The new petition against Cameron also claims he breached the public trust and failed to comply with his duties “for misrepresenting to the nation the findings of the Grand Jury.”

Cameron presented the findings of the Taylor grand jury to the public in September 2020. The grand jury indicted one of the three police officers involved in the raid on Taylor’s apartment but couldn’t charge the other two because their use of force was justified, according to Cameron.

Officers raided the house in March 2020. They fired their weapons after Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shot and wounded Sgt. Jon Mattingly. Taylor was fatally shot during the incident.

Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ky., in an undated photograph. Courtesy of Taylor family attorney Sam Aguiar via AP

Activists and Taylor’s family took issue with the way the findings were presented, arguing that the grand jury wasn’t given the opportunity to properly review the case, which sparked rioting. Cameron later agreed to comply with an order to release grand jury transcripts under pressure from the family and others. The Louisville Metro Police Department released more than 4,000 pages from its investigation into the shooting, showing in depth what had happened.

The files showed that the narrative of a no-knock warrant being served was incorrect, as officers had announced themselves and banged on the door before barging inside when no one answered. They also highlighted how Walker thought he was unfairly treated by the police.

While Walker was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, the charge was dropped several months later.

Cameron’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the new petition.

“The Grand Jurors did not choose this battle,” Kevin Glogower, representing the group seeking the impeachment, said in a statement. “This battle chose them. These are randomly selected citizens who were compelled to sit on a grand jury and were terribly misused by the most powerful law enforcement official in Kentucky. It is truly a testament to the Kentucky Constitution that they are able to be here today and to expose injustice and demand public accountability.”

Taylor family attorney Benjamin Crump said in a statement that the House committee should “seriously review this petition and hold AG Cameron accountable for his role in misleading the public and the grand jurors, and denying justice for Breonna Taylor and her family.”

Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne, a Republican, said in a statement that notice of the petition was received, adding that he would “reserve further comment until our attorneys review it and the committee on committees has an opportunity to act.”

Two other impeachment petitions have been filed in Kentucky this month. Separate groups filed petitions against Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, and state Rep. Robert Goforth, a Republican.