“According to Louisville Public Media, Craft did appear at a rally held at a Middletown pizza restaurant after the shooting occurred…”
A new report from The American Independent details how Kentucky gubernatorial candidate Kelly Craft lied that she did not campaign after the Louisville shooting massacre, when in fact she held two events where she discussed changing the Kentucky Department of Education, how she would punish drug dealers, and her transphobic views.
Read more below:
The American Independent: Kentucky gubernatorial candidate [Kelly Craft] lied about not campaigning after Louisville mass shooting
By: Josh Israel
Key Points:
- Kentucky Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Craft was asked recently about criticism of her appearances at campaign events on April 10 after a mass shooting at a Louisville, Kentucky, bank had left five dead and at least eight injured. Craft responded by falsely claiming that the gatherings were not campaign events.
- Craft, a GOP megadonor who served as former President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Canada and to the United Nations, appeared on the April 16 episode of “Kentucky Newsmakers” on Lexington television station WKYT and was pressed by host Bill Bryant about whether she had considered stopping her campaign events in light of the tragedy.
- “We did not have the campaign event,” Craft answered. “It was actually right after in the afternoon. We went to the event and we all prayed. We had a minister there, matter of fact we had two ministers there. And we prayed and everyone talked because everyone had already gathered at the event. So we just made a stop in.”
- According to Louisville Public Media, Craft did appear at a rally held at a Middletown pizza restaurant after the shooting occurred, alongside Gaines. The candidate spoke about her opposition to transgender rights. “She was born to be here for every young girl and woman in our country, and to make certain that we keep our sports fair,” Craft said in her introduction of Gaines. According to WKYU, the two shared condolences to the families of the shooting victims, but Craft would not answer questions about gun safety measures, saying: “I don’t think today is an appropriate time to be talking about anything other than the loss of these lives and those who are in critical condition.”
- WBKO covered the second event, held that evening at a Bowling Green pizza and wings restaurant. It noted that in addition to talking about her anti-transgender positions, Craft called for the death penalty for drug dealers who sell fentanyl and for drastic changes to the Kentucky Board of Education.
- A campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to an American Independent Foundation request for comment.
Published: May 3, 2023