Former Alabama Governor Robert Bentley resigned on Monday afternoon following a series of corruption and neglect of duty allegations. The 74-year-old former deacon and dermatologist had served two terms as governor before his resignation. He was replaced by fellow Republican Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey, who became the second woman to hold that office after Lurleen Walace in 1968 after her swearing in on Monday evening.
The ‘Luv Guv.’
Bentley was facing the threat of impeachment before he resigned. His stepping down is tied to the alleged affair he had with his campaign adviser between 2014 and 2016.
In a 3,000-page report detailing the investigation into Bentley, an Alabama House Judiciary Committee attorney explained that Bentley had used his influence as governor to try and cover up the relationship. Bentley is said to have carried out the adulterous affair with the married mother of three children, Rebekah Mason.
According to special prosecutor Ellen Brooks who was assigned the Bentley case, Bentley was eventually charged with two misdemeanor violations both tied to the misuse campaign funds and the supposed relationship.
Brooks detailed that Mr. Bentley was ‘known’ to have been conducting the affair with Mrs. Mason. In several instances, his security personnel stated that Mason had left the governor’s office with ‘tousled hair and clothes in disarray.’ Bentley threatened the officers into hiding this fact and even wielded his influence in tracking down any recordings validating his affair with the campaign adviser.
Brooks further stated that Rebekah Mason was reported to have been sleeping over at the governor’s mansion quite a number of times. To add to that are the numerous suggestive text messages and phone calls between the two alleged lovebirds.
Once, Brooks added, Bentley mistakenly sent his wife, Dianne Bentley, a text message meant for Mason. The text read ‘I love you, Rebekah.’ This message sealed the notion that Dianne had been having of the illicit affair. In March of 2014, Bentley’s wife made a recording of a phone call between her husband and Rebekah Mason. The tape was extremely suggestive and hinted that the two had even planned to elope at some point.
The recording was leaked to the local media after which many other reports of similar text messages between the Bentley and Rebekah Mason were unveiled. Dianne Bentley filed for divorce in August 2015 while Mason’s husband his employment left the governor’s office in the same year.
Though Bentley apparently promoted an ‘atmosphere of intimidation’ to keep the secret, an officer named Spencer Collier finally blew the lid off the secret affair. Collier alleges that Bentley ‘had him punished’ for his role in the discovery of the relationship, but Bentley denied it.
The Cost
Bentley was held on two counts of campaign law violations: the failure to disclose campaign fund expenditure and the failure to disclose economic interests. These he committed while trying to hide his affair.
He was released upon paying a $600 bond, after which he made his resignation speech apologizing for ‘not living up to the esteem of the governor’s office’ and the subsequent disappointing of his charges.
Bentley is expected to pay $9,000 reimbursement in campaign fund deficit, $7,000 in fines, and $37,000 in campaign money. He will never run for public office again and will do 100 hours of community service as a doctor.
