UPDATED: Speaker Mike Hubbard responds to indictment, says it's politically motivated
State Rep. Mike Hubbard, speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives and representative from Auburn, was indicted by a Lee County grand jury and charged with 23 class B felonies, including four counts of using his office for personal gain. Hubbard helped lead the Republican Party to a majority position in the Alabama State Legislature in 2010. He was first elected to the Alabama State House of Representatives from Auburn in 1998. Hubbard denied any claims of wrongdoing, calling the grand jury a "political witch hunt." The seven-page indictment alleges Hubbard violated Alabama law when he used his position as head of the Alabama Republican Party in 2010 to spend party money with the Auburn Network, Craftmaster Printers and other businesses he owns. If convicted, Hubbard could face up to 20 years in jail for each count, according to a statement released by special prosecutor W. Van Davis. Davis was appointed to oversee the investigation after Attorney General Luther Strange recused himself in January 2013.