Red state auditor's report flags Democratic governor's 'concerning' spending on 'luxury' expenditures

Kentucky’s Republican auditor Allison Ball spoke to Fox News Digital this week about a report she put out flagging concerns about lavish spending in the state's executive branch headed up by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who is widely believed to have presidential ambitions down the road.

Ball issued a report earlier this month outlining spending by the executive branch in fiscal year 2025 entered into the state’s system and flagging issues she believes demonstrate extravagant spending of tax dollars that "needs to stop."

The "concerning expenditures" listed include $183,576 in out-of-state travel costs, including $7,632 for a limousine in Germany; a $17,013 dinner at a Kentucky distillery; and $360,000 for 75 people to attend a two-day conference within the Commonwealth. 

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"We saw some really excessive, really worrying and questionable expenditures," Ball told Fox News Digital. 

"For example, one of the things we saw is that the governor and the tourism cabinet spent about $338,000 on a nonprofit called First Saturday in May. So, for people who are not from Kentucky, the first Saturday in May is when the [Kentucky] Derby happens. So, that money actually went to events for VIPs to come in and celebrate and observe the Derby."

Ball says the spending data was all entered by the executive branch into the Commonwealth's eMARS system, and while she understands elected officials need to spend more on security than typical citizens, she categorized much of the spending she flagged as "luxury items."

"I absolutely think the governor needs security. We want people to be safe. We don't want anything to happen to our elected officials," Ball explained. "But this is the time when you look at, OK, are you spending an excessive amount? And I think $7,000 for limo services in Germany, $5,000 to navigate the airport in Switzerland, hotels like in Beverly Hills, Aspen. 

"We even found an expenditure in the hundreds of dollars for something called the Caribou Club, which is a private club in Aspen. So, these expenses are essentially luxury items when you're looking at where they’re at and the amount of money that's being paid."

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Fox News Digital reached out to Beshear’s office for comment but did not receive a response. 

"They never asked us any questions, and you have to do that if it’s an audit report," Beshear recently told local media. "All they did was take lines, and they didn’t ask questions because if they had gotten the answers, they couldn’t have done the political attack that it was."

Ball said it's "no surprise" when elected officials push back on reports like hers, "but my job is about transparency." 

Ball’s report noted $39 million in spending by the executive branch’s advertising arms in various departments, over $7 million in out-of-state travel, over $23 million on in-state travel and over $16 million in trainings, conferences, food and trade shows.

"It's a budget year, and this is when the General Assembly is actually crafting what money they're going to appropriate through all levers of state government. And that's why they asked us, this is early in the process, and they wanted to know, 'OK, what is the executive branch spending its money on?" Ball explained. 

"And they specifically asked us about travel. They asked about conferences. They ask us about food and beverage because those are the things usually that can get out of control quick if you're not paying close attention. So, we're here just to provide information."

Beshear told CNN last summer he was weighing a 2028 presidential bid, and many predict he would be a formidable candidate given his popularity governing as a Democrat in deep red Kentucky. 

In another CNN interview Thursday, The Hill reported that Beshear said he is still weighing a run but that he won't make a final decision until his term as governor ends in late 2017.

"We have got to do more than just beat [President] Trump," Beshear said. "We have got to end this division. We have got to restore the American dream. We have got to bring hope back to the American people about a brighter future."