Assistant attorney general gets reprimand for talking to journalist

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Assistant Attorney General Amye Bensenhaver has retired “under considerable duress” after being reprimanded for speaking to a journalist without permission, creating yet another public relations issue for a government agency that has had more than its share in recent months.

For a quarter century, Bensenhaver had been the point person for journalists, private citizens and public agencies at odds over whether government records should be released or whether government meetings should be open to the public.

Widely respected as one of Kentucky’s top authorities on open records and open meetings laws, Bensenhaver’s retirement was effective on Wednesday.

“I came to this decision under considerable duress,” Bensenhaver said in her letter of resignation to Attorney General Andy Beshear. “It is clear to me I cannot survive, much less thrive, in the current office climate, and I have similar concerns about the open records/meetings laws.”

Read more: http://kentuckytoday.com/stories/assistant-attorney-general-reprimanded-for-talking-to-journalist,5154