Here’s one Bevin flight where we know where he’s going

Since Governor Bevin refuses to say why he’s using the state’s planes if it’s not “state business,” we are left with the publicly-available information: which plane was used, departure airport, destination airport, takeoff time, landing time, time in flight.

But sometimes, it is possible to match up that flight information with other information, and figure out where the Gov is going. That’s the case with today’s trip to Washington, DC.

According to the Flight Aware tracker, the N36SP jet owned by Kentucky State Police left Frankfort at 9:46 AM this morning, and landed at Reagan National a little after 11:00. What’s happening in DC today?

It turns out that Matt Bevin is attending a fund-raiser sponsored by all of the Kentucky electeds in DC (except for Jamie Comer – quelle surprise). It’s being held at the well-known lobbying firm of Akin Gump during the lunch hour.

And who, you may ask, is Akin Gump? It is a large and long-established lobbying firm in Washington, representing companies and organizations from pretty much every industry and sector. According to Open Secrets, the firm has been paid $19 million already this year, and should hit close to $40 million by the end of the year. (Interesting side note: Kentuckian and former McConnell chief of staff Hunter Bates is a partner there. Maybe he’s bringing a tray of those little rolled-up things.)

So, for this trip at least, we know not only where the plane is going, but why it’s going there. And, we know that Matt Bevin is spending time with DC lobbyists, just a few weeks before the election. And, we know that he is still raising money, even though his last report shows him with more cash on hand than his opponent. Got to pay back those loans, don’cha know.

Enjoy the hors d’oeuves, Governor. And remember to reimburse the state for the use of our plane.

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