Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder is calling for an investigation to find out if Governor John Bel Edwards possibly participated in a cover-up of Ronald Greene’s death, a black motorist who died after he was beaten by State Troopers during a traffic stop in 2019. LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford says Schexnayder uses the term gross misconduct in his statement.
“I think any constitutional scholar knows what that exactly refers to that’s the same language used in Article 10 regarding impeachment proceedings,” said Alford.
According to an Associated Press report, Edwards was informed the day after Greene died that he was involved in a violent struggle with troopers, while Green’s family was told for nearly two years he died in a car crash.
Greene’s death was in 2019 the same year he was up for re-election. Alford says Edwards has faced numerous challenges during his time in office, but this one is unique for his administration.
“For the governor to be at the center of the storm, to be the target of speculation is incredibly different for a governor who ran on being such an integral part of the West Point honor code,” said Alford.
Alford says Republicans want to know if Edwards helped keep the details of Greene’s death quiet for political reasons. Alford says many legislators want to hear the governor’s side of the story.
“I think there are a lot of the governor’s friends and allies who right now are willing to give the governor the benefit of the doubt, I think there are probably a handful of Republicans in the Legislature who are willing to do the same as well,” said Alford.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman and Shreveport Representative Sam Jenkins told Greg Hiburn with the USA Today Network: “It’s a serious concern. We need to see….the governor’s explanation. We need to hear from him.”
So far Edwards has not provided any statements about the AP Report.
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