Kentucky politician Dan Johnson’s widow to run for his seat

The wife of a Kentucky politician who took his own life after a sexual assault allegation surfaced this week will run for his seat.

Rebecca Johnson.

The wife of a Kentucky politician who killed himself after a sexual assault allegation surfaced this week defended her husband and said she will run for his seat because “these hi-tech lynchings based on lies and half-truths can’t be allowed to win the day.” In a statement a day after Dan Johnson’s suicide, Rebecca Johnson said she has been fighting behind her husband for 30 years and “his fight will go on.” “Dan is gone but the story of his life is far from over,” she said. Johnson took his own life on Wednesday night near a road in a secluded area. Two days earlier, the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting published a story detailing allegations that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl in his basement in 2013. The story prompted state leaders of both major political parties to call for his resignation, and authorities reopened the investigation that had been closed without charges.

Bullitt County Coroner Dave Billings said Johnson died in Mount Washington, Kentucky. “I would say it is probably suicide,” he said.

Johnson was elected to the state legislature in 2016, part of a wave of Republican victories that gave the GOP control of the Kentucky House of Representatives for the first time in nearly 100 years. He won his election despite Republican leaders urging him to drop out of the race after local media reported on some of his Facebook posts comparing Barack and Michelle Obama to monkeys.

Kentucky State Rep. Republican Dan Johnson. Picture: AP.

The pastor of Heart of Fire church in Louisville, Johnson sponsored a number of bills having to do with religious liberty and teaching the Bible in public schools. But he was mostly out of the spotlight until Monday, when the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting published an account from a woman saying Johnson sexually assaulted her in the basement of his home in 2013. At the time, the woman told police, who investigated the incident but closed the case and did not file charges.

On Tuesday, Johnson held a news conference in the pulpit of his church, which he began by leading friends and family in singing a portion of the Christmas carol “O Come All Ye Faithful.” He said the allegations against him were “totally false” and said they were part of a nationwide strategy of defeating conservative Republicans.

He referenced Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who faces accusations of sexual misconduct from multiple women.

Shortly before 5pm on Wednesday, Johnson posted a message on his Facebook page that included a denial of the accusation and asked people to care for his wife. The post appears to have been removed.

Michael Skoler, president of Louisville Public Media, which owns the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, said everyone at the organisation was “deeply sad.”

“Our aim, as always, is to provide the public with fact-based, unbiased reporting and hold public officials accountable for their actions,” Skoler said. “As part of our process, we reached out to Representative Johnson numerous times over the course of a seven-month investigation. He declined requests to talk about our findings.”

The sexual assault accusations against Johnson were revealed as a sexual harassment scandal involving four other Republican politicians was unfolding at the state Capitol. Former Republican House Speaker Jeff Hoover resigned his leadership position after acknowledging he secretly settled a sexual harassment claim with a member of his staff. Three other politicians were involved in the settlement, and all lost their committee chairmanships.

“I am very sad over the passing of Rep. Dan Johnson. Over the past few weeks in some of the darkest days of my life, he reached out to me, encouraged me, and prayed for me,” Hoover posted on his Twitter account.

Republican Governor Matt Bevin posted on his Twitter account that “my heart breaks for his family tonight.” “These are heavy days in Frankfort and in America,” Bevin posted. “May God indeed shed His grace on us all. ... We sure need it.”

AP

If you or someone you know may be at risk of suicide, call Lifeline (13 11 14) or the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), or see a doctor.