Fact check: Kentucky attorney general is not married to a relative of Mitch McConnell

McKenzie Sadeghi, USA TODAY
·4 min read

The claim: Daniel Cameron's wife is related to Mitch McConnell

Following outrage over the grand jury charges in the deadly police shooting of Breonna Taylor that sparked a new wave of nationwide demonstrations for racial equality, online posts have surfaced that claim a family connection between two prominent Kentucky politicians.

Social media users say Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's new wife and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., are related.

“I bet you didn’t know the Attorney General of Kentucky is married to Mitch McConnell’s niece. Yes, the same one who took the case before the grand jury and received no charges for the officers who murdered Breonna Taylor,” reads the text of a post along with photos of Cameron and his wife. “I said it before, and I’ll say it again. This isn’t about justice but political aspirations and white votes. He has now proven himself to the white people of Kentucky by selling out his own.”

Daniel Cameron was sworn in Tuesday as Kentucky's 51st attorney general. Dec. 17, 2019
Daniel Cameron was sworn in Tuesday as Kentucky's 51st attorney general. Dec. 17, 2019

The user who shared the post has not returned USA TODAY’s request for comment.

The claim also made its way to Twitter, where users shared similar versions. Some speculated that Cameron’s wife is McConnell’s granddaughter.

“Does anyone know why Mitch McConnell was at Daniel Cameron’s wedding? I heard it’s because Cameron’s new wife is Mitch’s granddaughter. True or not?” wrote one user.

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There's no relation

Cameron married his second wife on July 31 at a small private outdoor ceremony, the Courier Journal reported. (Weddings in Kentucky can take place at public venues during the pandemic as long as capacity is limited to 50% and social distancing is promoted.)

Cameron married Makenze Evans, 27, who graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2015. Evans is a fifth-grade teacher in Oldham County, Kentucky, according to Heavy.

A spokesperson for McConnell confirmed to The Courier Journal that he was in attendance at Cameron's wedding.

However, there is no evidence that McConnell attended the wedding due to family relations. Cameron served as McConnell's legal counsel for a little more than two years and handled a wide array of matters for the senator, including federal judiciary, law enforcement and criminal justice matters, as well as patent and trademark issues.

Daniel Cameron, a candidate for Kentucky attorney general, embraced Sen. Mitch McConnell, right, following his speech during the Fancy Farm political picnic in Fancy Farm, Ky. Aug. 3, 2019
Daniel Cameron, a candidate for Kentucky attorney general, embraced Sen. Mitch McConnell, right, following his speech during the Fancy Farm political picnic in Fancy Farm, Ky. Aug. 3, 2019

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CNN reported that McConnell has three daughters — Porter, Claire and Eleanor — from his first marriage to Sherrill Redmon. McConnell married his current wife, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, in 1993, and the couple do not have any children together.

Cameron's spokeswoman, Elizabeth Kuhn, confirmed to USA TODAY that the rumors suggesting a family connection between Cameron's wife and the senator are "false."

McConnell spokeswoman Stephanie Penn also told USA TODAY that the two are not related and pointed to a July tweet from when the couple was still engaged by USA TODAY politics reporter Phillip M. Bailey.

"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 tweeted.

Our ruling: False

The claim that Kentucky Attorney General David Cameron's wife is related to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is FALSE, based on our research. There is no evidence that the two are related and two spokespersons confirmed that this is not true. The claims stem from McConnell's attendance at Cameron's wedding.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Daniel Cameron's wife isn't related to Mitch McConnell