MONTGOMERY, Ala.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley stands during a news conference last week where he admitted he made inappropriate remarks to a top female staffer two years ago, but he denied accusations that he had a physical affair.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A top political aide to Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley resigned Wednesday, a week after he publicly admitted making inappropriate remarks to herbut denied the two ever had an affair.
Soon after, a GOP lawmaker said he planned to introduce a resolution to begin impeachment proceedings against the Republican governor.
Rebekah Caldwell Mason announced her resignation in a statement sent by the governor’s office, saying she would no longer be his senior political adviser and would no longer be paid by his campaign fund.
“My only plans are to focus my full attention on my precious children and my husband who I love dearly,” she said.
As Bentley’s confidante, sounding board, adviser and message molder, Mason has been there for the biggest moments of his political career, from his improbable 2010 election to the development of his major policy initiatives. More recently, she has been at the center of the lowest moment of his political career.
Last week, Mason was thrust into the spotlight when former Law Enforcement Secretary Spencer Collier accused the 73-year-old governor of having an inappropriate relationship with her. Collier made the allegations a day after he was fired.
Senior Political Advisor Rebekah Caldwell Mason resigned Wednesday, one week after the rumors of affair first surfaced.
The scandal has engulfed Bentley, a mild-mannered dermatologist and former Baptist deacon whose political ascendancy was based partly on his morally upright, honest reputation.
Dianne Bentley, the governor’s ex-wife, filed for divorce in 2015 saying their 50-year marriage had suffered an irreparable breakdown.
Recordings obtained by The Associated Press apparently show the governor — before his divorce — professing love to someone named Rebecca or Rebekah and telling her how much he enjoyed kissing and touching her.
The recordings were provided by a former administration member who did so on condition of anonymity to avoid angering politically powerful former associates.
In a furtive phone call, Bentley says his family is vacationing at the beach and tells the person on the other end: “I love you so much, I worry about loving you so much.”
While the governor is clearly heard, the person on the other end is not.