Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has resigned and pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges after it was uncovered that he had been using state resources to conceal an affair he was having with a top aide. Shonda Rhimes couldn’t write a better storyline!
The 74-year-old governor was facing a possible impeachment when he resigned on Monday. According to ABC News, he was charged with failing to file a major campaign contribution report and knowingly converting campaign contributions for personal use.
Bentley has been married for over 50 years. He worked as a dermatologist and church deacon before running for governor seven years ago. During his campaign, he decided that he needed someone with media experience, so he hired Rebekah Mason, a former TV reporter for the local news.
It didn’t take long for Mason’s influence to rub off on Bentley. He began dressing better, his demeanor changed, and ultimately he won the election. However, Bentley’s wife also found that things were different. She noticed that he was less affectionate and in 2014, he accidentally sent her a text message meant for his mistress, Rebekah. “I love you, Rebekah,” the message read. That is when Mrs. Bentley began collecting evidence in a journal and audio recordings.
“If we’re going to do what we did the other day we’re going to have to start locking the door,” the governor is heard saying in one of the recordings. In another he says, “You know what, when, when I stand behind you, and I, and I, and I put my arms around you and I put my hands on your breasts and I put my hands and [unintelligible] and just, and pull you in real close.”
Once Bentley discovered he had been recorded, he reportedly used his police detail intimidate, harass, and threaten people into giving up the recordings. Spencer Collier, a former Alabama chief law enforcement officer, says he was fired for refusing to cover up Bentley’s affair.
“I explained to Gov. Bentley it would be a crime if he has used state resources to facilitate a relationship or if he used campaign funds to facilitate the relationship,” Collier told news reporters last year.
Mason, who is 30 years Bentley’s junior, resigned in March 2016 after news of the alleged affair became public. Bentley admits that he sent romantic texts to Mason, but maintains that things never got physical.
“I want everyone to know that I have never had a physical affair with Mrs. Mason … I have apologized to her, to my family and to the state of Alabama.”
Bentley has been accused of an extensive abuse of power. As part of a deal struck with prosecutors, he has agreed to pay back some of the campaign funds he spent on Mason. He also has to serve a year of probation and can never run for office again. Bentley’s wife and children no longer talk to him either.
