FRANKFORT — What started as a controversy over secretly taping a state Senator expanded Friday into charges of inappropriate conduct against Sen. Robin Webb, D-Grayson, by Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville.

Webb was secretly taped last week by Kentucky Medical Association trustee Dr. Henry Goodman, an Ashland neurologist who was accompanied by his friend and colleague, Dr. Jack Ditty. Ditty happens to be Webb’s Republican opponent in next November’s election for a seat Webb won over the Bellefonte dermatologist in a special election last fall. Friday morning, Williams was asked if he thought their taping the meeting with Webb was appropriate.

“I think Robin Webb is trying to politicize the situation,” Williams said. He said he was disappointed in the reaction of Democratic Floor Leader Ed Worley, D-Richmond, who said the episode reflected poorly on Ditty’s character.

“If they want to reflect on anyone’s character, I would look very closely at some of (Webb’s) conduct in the last couple of days which we’ve had to talk to some of the (Democratic) leadership about and which you’ll probably hear more about today,” Williams continued.

He declined to say what would happen, but after the Senate quickly adjourned without taking up any legislation, Williams said nothing more would happen — at least on Friday. He wouldn’t say if his earlier comment might have portended some potential action by the Senate against Webb.

Webb said she hadn’t done anything inappropriate. In response to a reporter’s question, Webb said she had not used an expletive to describe Williams.

“I called him a dictator,” Webb said, explaining that she was “frustrated and upset” with Williams because he’d referred a resolution she’d sponsored to honor the Kentucky Circuit Clerks Association to a committee — on the day the clerks were in the capitol. She said that’s “a little out of the ordinary and I think was done to embarrass me.”

When she asked the Senate Clerk if she’d improperly introduced the resolution, Webb said the clerk told her she’d have to speak with Williams.

“I said that won’t do me any good because . . . I called him a dictator,” Webb said.

“That’s not what she said,” Williams said, though he wouldn’t say what he believes she said.

Worley called the entire series of events “raw, bad politics,” adding that Friday’s dustup was caused by Williams’ political motivation in sending Webb’s resolution to the committee and again criticized Ditty’s involvement in the taping episode.

Goodman and Ditty visited Webb in her office a week ago to talk about a bill which would allow licensed nurse practitioners to prescribe some controlled substances, something opposed by KMA. During the discussion, Webb said she heard a beeping noise and Goodman opened a bottle of juice to drink and reached for food on subsequent beeps. She assumed Goodman was wearing a medical monitoring device, something Goodman subsequently confirmed. Eventually, Webb said, she thought she saw a camera lens in one of the bags the two men placed between them on a couch.

Webb said she asked if they were taping the meeting and Goodman answered, yes and asked if that were a problem. All three said she told him no.

“The lawyer in me is used to knowing when I’m on the record, but really I assume everything we (legislators) do is in the public domain,” Webb said. “It wasn’t that big a problem.” She said if she wanted to politicize the episode, “I would have called a press conference when it happened.”

Ditty and Goodman confirmed Webb’s account of the meeting. And both said the taping was Goodman’s idea and Ditty didn’t know about it until Webb asked and Goodman said he was taping the meeting.

Goodman said he’s apologized to KMA and both men said he has no connection to Ditty’s campaign and Ditty said nothing from the meeting will be used in campaign advertising. Goodman said he later erased the tape after the controversy came to light.

Williams found no fault with Ditty and Goodman.

“I don’t think it’s an issue,” Williams said. “I think you should conduct yourself in a public setting so that you don’t care if you’re recorded.”

Worley said Goodman and Ditty represented themselves as “citizen lobbyists” on issues which affect KMA and secretly taping the media went too far.

“It was specifically for political purposes,” Worley said. “To tape Robin and get her in some compromising situation they could use in a campaign.”

Webb and Ditty waged an expensive, tough campaign last fall in a special election for the Senate seat Webb won by 282 votes. The race was characterized by negative advertising by both political parties and outside groups supposedly independent of the two campaigns. Williams was active in the campaign on Ditty’s behalf while Gov. Steve Beshear and former Democratic governors campaigned for Webb.

RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort.