The saga of the impeachment process of Gov. Robert Bentley continued on Friday. The Alabama House Judiciary's special counsel, Jack Sharman, released the findings of his investigation into potential wrongdoing by Bentley.
According to the report, Bentley “directed law enforcement to advance his personal interests,” and became increasingly paranoid about the existence and publication of audiotapes that revealed an intimate relationship with his former top political adviser, Rebekah Mason.
The report details the alleged affair between the two and the lengths they went to in order to cover it up. According to their investigation, Mason wielded a tremendous amount of power over the governor and received “hundreds of thousands of dollars from Governor Bentley’s campaign account and from an apparently lawful but shadowy non-profit.”
During their investigation, the special counsel staff found that the governor had ordered law enforcement officers to attempt to recover copies of the audiotape from people who may have possessed them and, at one point, end his relationship with Mason for him.
Bentley also ordered former Secretary of Alabama Law Enforcement Spencer Collier not to provide an affidavit to the Attorney General’s Office. Bentley, according to the report,
Sharman and his staff reviewed tens of thousands of documents and interviewed more than 20 witnesses to come to this conclusion, according to the report.
Bentley and Mason were not among the witnesses interviewed. In fact, the committee concluded the two attempted to obstruct the investigation. The report even raised the possibility that their non-cooperation could be grounds for impeachment by itself.
Earlier this morning, Bentley held a press conference where he said he has no intentions of resigning as governor. Later in the day, before the report’s release, Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon called on Bentley to resign. After the committee released its report, Bentley reaffirmed he had no plans to resign.
All of this came after Senate President Pro Temp Del Marsh made a similar statement yesterday, calling on the governor to resign after the Ethics Commission announced their findings Wednesday. The Commission found probable cause on four charges that Bentley violated the state's ethics laws and campaign finance laws.
Montgomery County Circuit Judge Greg Griffin granted a temporary restraining order after the report's release, allowing Bentley 10 days to respond before impeachment proceedings can continue.
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