Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley walks towards the door after speaking during the annual State of the State address at the Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Montgomery, Ala. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson Facing impeachment, scandal-ridden Alabama Governor Robert Bentley has resigned.

On Monday morning, state lawmakers began hearings to decide whether to impeach Bentley for allegedly using state resources and campaign funds to conceal an affair with a top member of his staff.

By Monday evening, with mounting calls for Bentley to resign, the two sides agreed that Bentley would plead guilty to two "failure to disclose" misdemeanors, repay the misused funds, and never hold public office again.

"I have decided that it is time for me to step down as Alabama's governor," Bentley said at a press conference Monday evening. "The time has come for me to look for new ways to serve the people of our great state."

AL.com also reported Monday evening that the governor was booked into Montgomery County Jail for the misdemeanors, though the booking later seemed to disappear:

On Friday, Jack Sharman, special counsel to the state's House Judiciary Committee, submitted a 130-page report alleging that Bentley intimidated members of his office into keeping quiet about an affair with his adviser Rebekah Caldwell Mason.

"Governor Bentley directed law enforcement to advance his personal interests and, in a process characterized by increasing obsession and paranoia, subjected career law enforcement officers to tasks intended to protect his reputation," the report concluded.

On Monday, district attorney Daryl Bailey had referred the criminal investigation to Alabama's acting attorney general. The report authors also specified that they considered Bentley's attempts to obstruct the investigation by withholding messages as an "independent ground for impeachment."

"Impeachment is a remedy, not a punishment," the report added.

Before the report was released, Bentley stood on the steps of the state Capitol on Friday and declared he did "not plan to resign."

The investigation began after Spencer Collier, the recently fired head of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, confirmed he was looking into text messages "of a sexual nature" between Bentley and Mason in March 2016.

The governor's ex-wife, Dianne Bentley, provided the messages to the House Judiciary Committee. She discovered them on a state-issued iPad her husband gave her that synced his accounts.

"I sure miss you. I need you. I want you. You are the only one," Bentley said in one text to Mason.

In the report, witnesses also accused Bentley of getting a law enforcement officer to retrieve a recording of his phone conversation with Mason, threatening his wife's chief of staff, and taking Mason on state aircraft although she wasn't an employee at the time.

Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey will be sworn in as governor Monday evening.</s>Know Your Value</s>MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey has been sworn in as the 54th Governor of the State of Alabama.

This follows Gov. Robert Bentley’s resignation less than an hour earlier. Ivey becomes the state’s second female governor, the first being Lurleen Wallace back in 1967.

“Serving as your governor and representing the state of Alabama is no small task, but I pledge to each of you I will do my best,” said Governor Ivey. “The Ivey administration will be open, transparent, and it will be honest.”

Ivey is from Camden, Alabama in Wilcox County. She graduated from Auburn University in 1967, and worked as a high school teacher and a bank officer after graduation.

According to her biography, she served as the Reading Clerk of the Alabama House of Representatives and Assistant Director of the Alabama Development Office. In 2002, Ivey became the first Republican elected State Treasurer since Reconstruction and was re-elected in 2006.

In 2010, Ivey announced she was running for governor, but she exited early and announced plans to run for Lieutenant Governor instead.

When Ivy was elected Lieutenant Governor in 2010, she became the first Republican woman to hold the office in Alabama’s history. She made history again in 2014 by becoming the first Republican Lieutenant Governor to be re-elected.

The swearing-in took place at 6 p.m. in the Old Senate Chamber in the Alabama State Capitol.

Please enable Javascript to watch this video</s>Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley says he has decided it’s time for him to step down, professing his love for the state and telling the people that he has sometimes let them down.

In a speech that aired Live on Alabama News Network shortly after 5 o’clock, the governor said he’d not always made the right choices.

“Though I sometimes failed, I’ve always tried to live up to the high expectations the people placed on the (person) who holds this esteemed office,” he said at the Capitol.

The stunning resignation came after Bentley pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor violations of campaign finance law.

Bentley said he had prayed about it and talked it over with his successor, Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey, and they were committed to a smooth transfer of power.

Ivey was sworn-in as governor at 6 p.m.

Alabama Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon (R-Capshaw) on Monday released the following statement:

“I’m grateful that Governor Bentley has seen the writing on the wall and made what must have been a difficult decision. When I met with him on Friday, I told him I would be praying for him. I will continue praying for him as he adjusts to the next chapter in his life and reflects upon the legacy he leaves behind.

I’ll pray, as well, for Governor Kay Ivey, who has had an awesome burden placed upon her shoulders, but as someone who knows her talents and abilities and the values that guide her moral compass, I’m confident she will lead our state well.

The attention of the House and Senate can once again fully focus on the real problems facing our state. We can now turn our attention to our most fundamental task of passing our state’s budgets. We can once again devote our every effort to doing the important work that our constituents – the families, neighbors, friends, and hardworking men and women in each of our districts – sent us to Montgomery to do.

I have faith that with God’s grace and His guidance, we can put this difficult chapter in Alabama’s history behind us and work toward providing our children, our grandchildren, and their children after them a better and more prosperous Alabama.”

Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed (R-Jasper) released the following statement on Robert Bentley’s decision to resign as Governor of Alabama:

“The people of Alabama deserve and expect for their political leaders to be men and women of integrity. The state can move forward now under the honorable and trustworthy leadership of Governor Kay Ivey, and I look forward to working with her administration.

“Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh will now serve as the presiding officer over the Alabama Senate. Senator Marsh is a very capable public servant, and I will continue to work closely with him to advance an agenda that puts the people of Alabama first.”

U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-Ala.) today released the following statement upon Alabama Governor Robert Bentley’s resignation:

“Governor Bentley’s decision to resign was the right thing to do. The people of Alabama deserve leaders who are focused on the serious issues facing our state, and I look forward to better days ahead.”

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) today released this statement following Governor Robert Bentley’s announcement of his resignation:

“The American people’s trust in their government depends on the integrity and dignity of those in office, and it is clear that Alabamians have lost this in Governor Bentley. As governor, Bentley was elected by the people of Alabama to the highest position of authority and should consequentially treat the office with the utmost respect. I believe he has made the right decision in offering his resignation.

“I look forward to working with Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey in her new capacity as Governor of Alabama.”

Attorney General Steven T. Marshall issued the following statement concerning the plea and resignation of Governor Robert Bentley.

“I appreciate the work of Ellen Brooks, supernumerary district attorney, as well as the Attorney General’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in conducting the investigation of Governor Bentley which today led to his guilty pleas and resignation from office,” said Attorney General Steven Marshall.

“I told the people of Alabama that I would recuse if there was an investigation and I did. I have allowed experienced and professional prosecutors to handle this matter and I have provided all the resources related to the performance of their work.

“I will fully support Kay Ivey’s transition as the next governor of the State of Alabama and I look forward to working with her to address the pressing issues that face our state.”

Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries John McMillan released the following statement regarding the swearing in of Governor Kay Ivey:

“I have already offered my full support to Governor Kay Ivey and I pledge to assist her in any way moving forward. Alabamians deserve elected leaders who put the people of Alabama first.“

“It is a sad state of affairs that the leadership of all three branches of our state government has – in only one year’s time – either been removed from office, or resigned because they were going to be removed from office for corruption. I believe Gov. Bentley’s resignation was in the best interests of the state, and I look forward to working with Gov. Ivey as we try to move the state forward. Now more than ever we need a strong, two-party system so we can break this chain of absolute power becoming absolute corruption. I hope the people of Alabama will take this to heart and vote for the person rather than voting for the party.”</s>MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Latest on impeachment hearings for Gov. Robert Bentley (all times local):

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has resigned after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges of violating state campaign finance law.

The attorney general’s office announced the resignation Monday with a plea deal.

Bentley was addressing the media Monday afternoon at the Alabama Capitol. Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey’s announced that she will be sworn-in this evening as Alabama’s governor at 6 p.m.

Bentley’s voice began choking with emotion as he addressed reporters at the Alabama Capitol. He said he always tried to live up to the high expectations placed on the person who holds the esteemed office. He apologized for mistakes.

Alabama’s Ethics Commission last week found probable cause that Bentley violated state ethics laws with his handling of an alleged affair and referred the case to prosecutors.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has pleaded guilty after being booked on two campaign and ethics charges in Montgomery.

Bentley appeared sullen and looked down at the floor during the Monday afternoon session.

Attorneys went over the charges as a plea agreement was signed. Bentley told a judge he understood the charges.

The agreement specifies that Bentley must surrender campaign funds totaling $36,912 within a week and perform 100 hours of community service as a physician. He also cannot seek public office again.

Jail records show Bentley was booked on two misdemeanor charges that arose from the investigation of an alleged affair with a top aide.

His office has scheduled a late afternoon appearance by Bentley at the Capitol. A person who has spoken to Bentley tells The Associated Press says he plans to resign.

Jail records show Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has been booked on two misdemeanor charges that arose from the investigation of an alleged affair with a top aide.

A booking log at the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office website shows Bentley was processed on two campaign and ethics charges Monday afternoon.

A mugshot released by the jail shows Bentley smiling slightly, his head cocked slightly to the right. He’s wearing a coat and tie.

Alabama’s Ethics Commission last week found probable cause that Bentley violated state ethics laws with his handling of an alleged affair and referred the case to prosecutors.

A person who has spoken to Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley says he plans to resign over allegations he covered up an affair with an aide.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

Bentley is preparing to announce his resignation Monday during a Cabinet meeting. The person says Bentley is in good spirits over the decision to step down.

Word of Bentley’s decision comes on the first day of impeachment hearings. He is accused of abusing his state powers to try to hide his romance.

The Republican governor has acknowledged making personal mistakes but has denied doing anything illegal or anything that would merit removal from office.

The top lawyer in an impeachment investigation says Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley did not cooperate with the probe.

Special counsel Jack Sharman said Monday there was a question of the governor’s “candor.” Bentley is accused of misusing state resources to keep an alleged affair with a staffer from being exposed.

Sharman says the governor’s office turned over only innocuous text messages between him and former political adviser Rebekah Caldwell Mason. Sharman says the governor’s former wife turned over others. In those texts, Bentley repeatedly told Mason how much me loved and wanted her.

The governor’s then-wife, Dianne Bentley, was able to read the text messages because they also showed up on his state-issued iPad, which he had given the first lady. Dianne Bentley provided the messages to the committee.

It is not known if the messages were deleted from the governor’s state phone when the committee requested them.

Impeachment hearings have begun for Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, who is accused of misusing state resources to keep an alleged affair with a staffer from being exposed.

House Judiciary Chairman Mike Jones opened the hearings Monday by saying no task was more serious than the possible removal of an elected governor.

Jones said it was time to hear evidence collected by the committee’s special counsel. The governor’s lawyers will respond to those accusations later in the week.

Special Counsel Jack Sharman opened by saying that impeachment is the “people’s check” on political excess.

The hearings are the start of a lengthy process that could end with Bentley being removed from office.

The Republican governor has acknowledged making personal mistakes but has denied doing anything illegal or anything that would merit removal from office.

A spokeswoman says scandal-plagued Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley is not personally involved in any negotiations to resign.

Yasamie August made the statement Monday morning as the House Judiciary Committee was set to begin impeachment hearings.

Asked if there were any discussions about resignation, August said the response was the same that the governor was not personally involved in any negotiations.

Bentley has struggled to shake off a scandal after recordings surfaced last year of him making romantic and sexually charged comments in 2014 to a top female aide before his divorce. The Republican governor has acknowledged making personal mistakes but has denied doing anything illegal or anything that would merit removal from office.

The hearings are the start of a lengthy process that could end with Bentley being removed from office. The committee will decide whether to recommend impeachment. If the House votes to impeach Bentley, he will automatically be removed from his duties and can only be returned to office if acquitted in a trial-like proceeding before the Alabama Senate.

Alabama lawmakers are set to begin impeachment hearings for Gov. Robert Bentley as they consider whether to try ousting the governor over accusations he used state resources to hide a romantic relationship with a top aide.

The House Judiciary Committee scheduled a week of hearings to open Monday that will culminate with a vote on whether to recommend his impeachment.

The Republican governor has acknowledged making personal mistakes but has denied doing anything that would merit removal from office.

Monday is expected to bring another round of legal filings in the escalating tensions between the governor and the Republican-controlled Legislature. The Alabama Supreme Court asked for briefs on Bentley’s claims that the proposed impeachment hearings don’t allow him to adequately respond to the accusations.</s>MONTGOMERY, AL (WKRG) — With Robert Bentley’s term as Alabama Governor coming to an end, Kay Ivey is set to be sworn in as the state’s next leader.

Ivey will be sworn into office at 6 p.m. on Monday.

The former Lt. Gov. has been in her current role since 2010 after winning reelection in 2014.

The 72-year-old kay could have been governor when she threw her hat into the ring back in 2009 for the seat of outgoing Governor Bob Riley. After her announcement in 2009, she ultimately decided to join the race for Lt. Governor and won, defeating Jim Folsom, Jr. who was seeking an unprecedented fourth term in the office.

Ivey has held various state position since 1982 including state treasurer, a position on the Alabama Commission on Higher Education and the Alabama Development Office.

Ivey stayed mostly quiet when the accusations were leveled against Bentley last year. When impeachment talk became the talk of Montgomery, her only statement was there was a transition plan in place should be governor resign or be forced from office.</s>Only an hour after being arrested on two campaign finance misdemeanors, embattled Alabama Governor Robert Bentley resigned.

Bentley’s resignation comes on the same day that the Alabama House of Representatives opened impeachment hearings against the Republican. The 74-year-old dermatologist-turned-politician was accused of misappropriating state funds in an effort to cover up an affair with Rebekah Caldwell Mason, his political advisor and one-time Sunday school student.

Prior to Bentley’s resignation, he was arrested and charged with failure to file a campaign finance report and failure to disclose information on a statement of economic interest. Bentley pleaded guilty to the two charges and was immediately sentenced to 100 hours of community service as a physician and barred from seeking public office in the future. He must also surrender more than $36,000 to the state and serve one year of probation. In exchange, the state has agreed to not file felony charges against Bentley.

After his appearance in court, Bentley made his way to the Alabama Capitol’s old House chamber and announced his resignation.

As CNN reports, Bentley opted to make a short statement and did not field questions.

Shortly after Bentley’s press conference, a copy of his official resignation was made available online.

News of Bentley’s resignation had been swirling for most of the day. AL.com reported that Bentley’s attorneys had spent part of Sunday and Monday negotiating Bentley’s resignation.

Today’s resignation comes only days after Bentley held a news conference where he stated he would not resign and maintained his innocence.

Bentley’s possible impeachment was only part of the scandal-plagued politician’s problems.

Last week, the Alabama Ethics Commission found probable cause that Bentley had violated ethics and campaign laws. Their findings, which included four possible felonies, were turned over to prosecutors in Montgomery County. If convicted, Bentley would have faced 20 years for each count.

For more than a year, Bentley had faced calls for his resignation from state officials, both Republicans and Democrats.

Bentley’s resignation brings to a close a messy scandal that began shortly after his wife of 50 years filed for divorce on August 28, 2015. Dianne Jones Bentley’s abrupt divorce filing led some state officials to ponder whether Bentley’s divorce was tied to rumors of an affair with Mason.

One week after divorce papers were filed, a member of the Alabama House filed a letter with the state’s attorney general’s office calling for Bentley to be investigated for possible misuse of public funds in connection with his divorce and alleged affair.

Bentley hit back in an interview with AL.com, where he continued to deny an affair with Mason.

“There were people on blogs and people in the press who crossed the line. They truly crossed the line. People on talk radio crossed the line. There were many people – my own family and there were a lot of other families – many people, people that I love, that I care about, they went through some difficult times because people were able to say whatever they wanted to say. They were just ridiculous. I don’t know how anyone could ever believe them.”

On March 22, 2016, Bentley fired the Secretary of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Spencer Collier. The following day Collier held a small press conference and confirmed that Bentley had been carrying on an affair with Mason, his chief advisor. Collier admitted that he had known about the affair for more than two years and had advised Bentley to end his relationship with Mason.

During the press conference, Collier alluded to possible misuse of state funds, including chartering a private plane to keep Mason’s name off of flight records.

The Alabama House Judiciary Committee hired a special investigator to look into Bentley. It was during that investigation that embarrassing text messages and audio recordings between Bentley and Mason hit the press.

Bentley continually denied that he had committed any crimes, but facing the possibility of 80 years in prison, decided that it was in the best interest for all involved to resign. Collier concurred.

Lt. Governor Kay Ivey was sworn in shortly after Bentley’s resignation as the 54th Governor of Alabama. The Republican will become Alabama’s second female governor.</s>(WHNT) – The Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee, the governing body in charge of the direction of the Alabama Republican Party, has called on Governor Robert Bentley to resign.

The ALGOP Steering Committee calls upon Governor Robert Bentley to immediately resign.

The ALGOP Steering Committee commends the Alabama House of Representatives, the Alabama Senate and the Alabama Supreme Court for their courage and their diligence in the impeachment process while putting partisan politics aside for the people of the state of Alabama.

While we are deeply saddened by these circumstances, the Alabama Republican Party holds their elected officials accountable and demands the utmost integrity of office holders.

The overwhelming majority of elected officials are good, hard working people who love their communities, state and nation. However, when situations arise that are in direct conflict with the betterment of our people, we will speak up regardless of political party.

Public service must be about the needs of the people being served in the great state of Alabama, not about an individual person.

We have no doubt that our great state of resilient and resourceful citizens will once again rise above these difficult times.</s>MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley resigned Monday rather than face impeachment and pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor campaign violations that arose during an investigation of his alleged affair with a top aide.

In a remarkable fall, the mild-mannered 74-year-old Republican and one-time Baptist deacon stepped down as the sex-tinged scandal gathered force over the past few days. Legislators turned up the pressure by opening impeachment hearings Monday. Last week, the Alabama Ethics Commission cited evidence that Bentley broke state ethics and campaign laws and referred the matter to prosecutors.

“There’ve been times that I let you and our people down, and I’m sorry for that,” Bentley said in the old House chamber of Alabama’s Capitol after he pleaded guilty.

The violations were discovered during the investigation of his affair but were not directly related to it.

In court, Bentley appeared sullen and looked down at the floor. He stood up and said “yes, sir” in a gravelly voice as the judge read out the charges he was pleading guilty to.

One misdemeanor charge against Bentley stemmed from a $50,000 loan he made to his campaign in November that investigators said he failed to report until January. State law says major contributions should be reported within a few days. The other charge stemmed from his use of campaign funds to pay nearly $9,000 in legal bills for political adviser Rebekah Caldwell Mason last year.

“He did what he did, and he deserves now to be called a criminal,” said Ellen Brooks, a retired district attorney overseeing the state investigation.

The resignation and guilty plea were a dramatic reversal from the man who on Friday stood on the Capitol steps and said he would not leave office because he had done nothing illegal.

The plea agreement specified that Bentley must surrender campaign funds totaling nearly $37,000 within a week and perform 100 hours of community service as a physician. The dermatologist also cannot seek public office again.

Bentley’s successor is Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey, who became Alabama’s second female governor. The first was Lurleen Wallace, wife of segregationist and four-term Gov. George C. Wallace. She ran as a surrogate for her still-powerful husband in 1966 when he couldn’t seek re-election because of term limits. She won, but died in office in 1968.

“The Ivey administration will be open. It will be transparent. And it will be honest,” Ivey said.

Bentley said in his statement that he no longer wanted to subject his family and staff “to the consequences that my past actions have brought upon them.” His staff gave him a standing ovation as he entered and exited the old House chamber.

Bentley’s resignation follows the ouster of former House Speaker Mike Hubbard, who left office in 2016 after being convicted on ethics charges, and former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who was suspended from his post last year over an order opposing same-sex marriage.

Bentley, a staunch family-values conservative who won two terms partly because of his reputation for moral rectitude, was first engulfed in scandal last year after recordings surfaced of him making sexually charged comments to the 45-year-old Mason.

An investigative report prepared for the House Judiciary Committee and released last week said Bentley encouraged an “atmosphere of intimidation” to keep the story under wraps and directed law enforcement officers to track down and seize the recordings. The report portrayed the governor as paranoid and obsessed with trying to keep the relationship secret.

The committee on Monday started what was expected to be days of hearings.

Bentley lawyer Ross Garber had argued that impeachment should be reserved for only the “most grave misconduct,” noting that only two U.S. governors have been impeached since 1929, and both were indicted for serious felonies.

“It is not unusual for elected officials to have ethics and campaign finance issues. In fact, many governors face these things. It is very rare, though, for legislators to try to leverage those issues to impeach a governor. In fact, it is simply not done,” Garber told The Associated Press in an email.

The last U.S. governor to be impeached was Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2009. He was removed from office and is now serving a prison sentence for conspiring to sell an appointment to President Barack Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat.

The investigative report contained text messages that the governor sent to Mason. They were intercepted by Bentley’s then-wife, Dianne Bentley, who was able to read the messages because they also showed up on the governor’s state-issued iPad, which he had given her.

“I sure miss you. I need you. I want you. You are the only one,” one message read.

Dianne Bentley divorced her husband in 2015 after 50 years of marriage.

Bentley denied having a physical relationship with his former aide, though in some of the recordings he talked about the pleasure he got from fondling her breasts.

At one point, according to the investigative report, the governor sent the head of his security detail to fetch the recording from his son Paul Bentley, who responded: “You ain’t getting it.” Dianne Bentley had secretly recorded her husband by leaving her phone on while she went for a walk.

The former first lady’s chief of staff also charged that Bentley threatened her job because he believed she had helped his wife make the recordings.

Former Law Enforcement Secretary Spencer Collier, who a day after being fired by Bentley last year held a news conference where he publicly revealed the affair accusation, said he feels vindicated by the resignation and plea deal.

GOP leaders in the House and Senate called on Bentley to resign, as has the Alabama Republican Party’s steering committee.

“It’s really time for us to look ahead and start moving forward on more pressing matters,” Republican Sen. Cam Ward said. “It was a constant distraction, one that was never going to change, and it’s time for us to get back to work.”

Two of Bentley’s predecessors in the past three decades have been convicted of crimes: Republican Guy Hunt in the 1990s, for misusing funds, and Democrat Don Siegelman, who was convicted of bribery in 2006.

Never miss another Facebook post from WISH-TV</s>MONTGOMERY — After a long, drawn out legal battle with state legislators and the Alabama Ethics Commission, sources have confirmed with the Tribune that Alabama Governor Robert Bentley has resigned following an emergency cabinet meeting called for 3:30 p.m. Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey was sworn in to become the state’s second female governor following at 6 p.m. today in the old Senate chamber. She becomes the state’s 54th governor.

Ivey promised honesty and and an open administration. She also promised no disruption in state business. While she said she was prepared for this moment, she did not want the situation to arise.

Bentley left the state capitol after meeting with his cabinet and headed to the Montgomery County Courthouse where he reached a deal with prosecutors today that allows him to plead guilty to two charges related to campaign finance and avoid jail time, according to sources in Montgomery. From there, he went to the Montgomery County Jail for processing. He was fined $2,000 and ordered to repay the state $8,000 and surrender all campaign funds to the state. Bentley will serve 12 months of unsupervised probation.

Saying he could no longer put his family and staff through the trouble caused by his actions, Bentley resigned effective immediately in the Old House Chamber. To the people of Alabama, he said, “I have let you down.”

A 74-year-old dermatologist and former Baptist deacon, Bentley has been involved in a sex scandal for several months. Last year, he and his wife, Dianne, divorced, and recordings of Bentley making suggestive remarks to his top aide, Rebekah Caldwell Mason, surfaced. Since the proceedings began to impeach the governor, more details of their relationship have emerged, including text messages between them.

Following the release of those audio recordings in March 2016, Senator Shay Shelnutt and Representative Danny Garrett both called for Bentley’s resignation.

“I don’t see how the governor can be the strong and effective leader our state needs at this time,” Garrett said at that time. “I would urge him to step aside and allow the state to move forward.”

Shelnutt said Republicans often talk about holding state employees, teachers and elected officials accountable for their actions and he thinks Bentley, as the leader of the state, should be the example by walking the walk.

“I ask my fellow legislators to join this call for the governor’s resignation in order that we may move past this distraction and do the job we were elected to do by the citizens of Alabama,” Shelnutt said last year.

The Tribune will add statements from Bentley, Shelnutt and Garrett when available.
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley resigns as the Alabama House Judiciary Committee began impeachment proceedings against him over a relationship with a former aide. In addition, Bentley pleads guilty to two "failure to disclose" misdemeanors. Kay Ivey is sworn in as Alabama Governor. Under terms of the plea bargain, Bentley is forbidden from ever running for elected office in Alabama again.