Quick Take
Social media posts falsely claim Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron — who conducted the investigation into Breonna Taylor’s death — is related through marriage to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Cameron was recently married, but his wife is not related to McConnell.
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After months of protest over the case, a Kentucky grand jury reached a decision on Sept. 23 to indict one of three Louisville Metro Police Department officers involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor earlier this year.
Officer Brett Hankison, who was fired in June, was charged with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment. The two other officers involved in the shooting, John Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, were not charged with any crime.
Daniel Cameron, the Attorney General of Kentucky, oversaw the prosecution of this case. Following Cameron’s announcement regarding the Taylor decision, a viral post on Facebook — published the same day and shared almost 800 times — claimed that Cameron is related by marriage to Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell. The post, in referencing Cameron, states, “So you understand! He was promised to be next In the Supreme Court (JMT) He just married Mitch McConnell’s grand daughter. Breonna Taylor case ain’t have a chance.”
It is true that Cameron, who worked as McConnell’s legal counsel, was on the president’s list of Supreme Court nominees to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Sept. 18. There is no evidence, however, that Cameron was “promised” to be the next Supreme Court nominee. Moreover, in order for any Supreme Court justice to be confirmed, the majority of the Senate must vote on the nominee.
The viral post also falsely claims that Cameron “just married Mitch McConnell’s grand daughter.” Other social media posts claim Cameron married McConnell’s niece.
It is true that Cameron was married in August to Makenze Evans, and McConnell reportedly attended the wedding. However, the claim that Cameron’s new wife is related to McConnell is false.
Robert Steurer, a spokesperson for McConnell, told us in an email that Cameron’s wife is not related to McConnell. Steurer also referred to a tweet from a reporter who has covered McConnell for a long time that confirms Cameron is not related to McConnell’s granddaughter.
As we’ve reported, social media posts often advance false claims about supposed marriages and family relationships among, and between, political figures.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our previous stories can be found here.
Sources
“Additions to President Donald J. Trump’s Supreme Court List.” Whitehouse.gov. 9 Sep 2020.
“AG Daniel Cameron Press Conference Transcript September 23: Breonna Taylor Decision.” Rev.com. 23 Sep 2020.
“Attorney General Announces Completion of Investigation in Death of Ms. Breonna Taylor, Jefferson County Grand Jury Indicts Formed LMPD Detective Hankison.” Kentucky.gov. 23 Sep 2020.
Bailey, Phillip M. (@Philmonger). “I’ll say this once and only once because this is so not the issue at hand, but is becoming somewhat of an actual distraction for some folks on the left who either keep asking or telling me.@DanielCameronAG is NOT engaged to @senatemajldr Mitch McConnell’s granddaughter.”
Bailey, Phillip M. “Mitch McConell’s former lawyer may run for Kentucky attorney general.” Louisville Courier Journal. 21 Dec 2018.
Burke, Minyvonne. “Woman Shot and Killed by Kentucky police in botched raid, family says.” NBC. 12 May 2020.
Fichera, Angelo. “Social Posts Distort Facts on Political Relationships.” 20 Nov 2019.
Mickle, Jordan, “Kentucky attorney general announces decision in Breonna Taylor case.” LEX 18. 23 Sep 2020.
“Supreme Court Nominations Research Guide.” Georgetown Law Library. Accessed 7 Oct 2020.
Tobin, Ben. “Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron gets married with Mitch McConnell in attendance.” Louisville Courier Journal. 3 Aug 2020.
Treisman, Rachel, et. al. “Kentucky Grand Jury Indicts 1 of 3 Officers in Breonna Taylor Case.” NPR. 23 Sep 2020.