FRANKFORT, Ky. — State Rep. Savannah Maddox said she was not at Sunday's protest in Frankfort when a protester hung Gov. Andy Beshear in effigy. State lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have condemned the act.
"I stand in unison with the House Majority Caucus in condemning any act of hatred in the political discourse," Maddox (R) said.
Maddox has drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers and people on social media for both her role in an earlier protest in Frankfort, along with a photo of her with the protester believed to be responsible for the effigy. Maddox said she had taken the photo at the protest a month earlier and did not personally know the person.
"I am in no way affiliated or involved with that gentleman or any of the activities that transpired," she said. "Frankly I could not have known a month ago what type of malicious activity he would have engaged in."
In a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Kentucky House Democrats called for Maddox to apologize and for House Republicans to begin a formal censure process, claiming her actions at an earlier rally led to this Sunday's events.
"I call on my colleagues in the House, especially Representative Maddox, to stop fanning the flames," State Rep. Angie Hatton (D) said.
Maddox said she had attended the earlier rallies to give a voice to those suffering from the economic impact of the coronavirus closures and the problems with the state's unemployment benefits system, which she claims are now being overshadowed by the protester's actions.
"I think that what transpired on Sunday is not reflective of the greater movement at large to send a clear and strong message to the governor that Kentuckians are tired of being out of work," she said.
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