Weddle attorney alleges Beshear campaign fundraiser destroyed evidence in pending excess contribution case

The attorney for former London Mayor Randall Weddle said his client’s criminal case involving alleged excess campaign contributions to Gov. Andy Beshear has been complicated by a separate allegation: that a chief fundraiser for Beshear’s reelection campaign destroyed evidence in the spring of 2023.

According to the Kentucky Lantern, Weddle’s attorney alleges that the fundraiser, identified in the account as the campaign’s chief fundraiser, “destroyed vital evidence” in a pending criminal case against Weddle for making excess campaign contributions to the governor.

The claims are being made in connection with the criminal prosecution of Weddle, the former London mayor, for conduct that prosecutors contend involved contributions beyond legal limits in connection with Beshear’s reelection campaign.

Weddle’s attorney argues that the alleged destruction of evidence matters to the case because it concerns material that the defense believes is essential to litigating the accusations, including the timing and handling of campaign-related materials.

The article places the alleged destruction in the spring of 2023, a period during which the Beshear reelection operation was actively raising money for the campaign.

As of this report, the Kentucky Lantern describes the allegation as coming from Weddle’s legal team, and it does not indicate what action the court has taken in response or whether prosecutors dispute the claim.

The case remains pending, with the evidence-destruction allegation adding a new factual dispute over what happened to campaign materials during the 2023 fundraising period.

If the allegation is pursued procedurally through motions and hearings, it could affect how the court handles contested evidence and what materials may be available to the parties for trial or other case milestones.