Alabama Gov. Resigns Amid Scandal and Attempted Coverup

According to the Associated Press, the governor is prepared to announce his resignation at a Cabinet meeting tonight.

Ivey stayed mostly quiet when the accusations were leveled against Bentley a year ago.

Lewis said he was ostracized and eventually forced out from his job after pushing the governor and Mason to end their affair and warning Bentley about using state planes and cars to transport Mason.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) resigned from office April 10 after a year-long scandal.

If he agrees to a deal it is thought he will have to plead to at least a misdemeanor.

“It’s the kind of delusion that comes with power”, says Bill Britt, editor-in-chief of the online news site Alabama Political Reporter.

Legislative leaders had been carefully noncommittal about impeachment since House members first pushed a resolution through past year, but the Ethics Commission report, combined with the impeachment proceeding, pushed Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston and House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, both called for Bentley’s resignation last week.

Bentley chose to resign on Monday. The Ivey administration will be open, transparent, and honest.

Before her career in politics, she worked as a banker, assistant hospital administrator, high school teacher, and served as an Alabama House of Representatives reading clerk, and assistant director of the Alabama Development Office.

Earlier Monday, Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey sent a letter to Ellen Brooks, the special prosecutor appointed by Attorney General Steve Marshall to investigate Bentley, referring the ethics commission findings to the AG’s office.

The other $15,000 came through a 501c (4) set up in 2015 to advocate Bentley’s policies. I look forward to working with Governor Kay Ivey, her staff and my legislative colleagues as we move forward.

After a recess, Sharman took to the podium again and began explaining the specific allegations against Bentley, as outlined in his report. He apologized for mistakes. Richard Shelby said Bentley “made the right decision in offering his resignation”. Bentley told a judge he understood the charges.

The agreement also requires Bentley to repay the state almost $9,000 in misused funds, serve a year of probation, perform 100 hours of community service as a physician, and forfeit the more than $36,000 in his campaign fund.

In audio recordings that became public, Bentley can be heard saying sexually explicit things to Mason.

Ivey appeared at a ceremonial swearing-in in the Capitol about an hour after Bentley’s appearance.

The two-term governor has vowed not to resign and has said he did nothing illegal.

The violations were discovered during the investigation of his affair but were not directly related to it.

Bentley resigned on Monday after pleading guilty to two counts of violating campaign finance rules. He’s wearing a coat and tie.

However, when Bentley grew suspicious that Collier had incriminating recordings of the affair, he placed Collier on medical leave before ultimately firing him, the report alleges.

A person who has spoken to Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley says he plans to resign over allegations he covered up an affair with an aide.

In a remarkable fall, the mild-mannered 74-year-old Republican and one-time Baptist deacon stepped down as the sex-tinged scandal gathered force over the past few days.