MONTGOMERY, AL (WKRG) — Robert Bentley has officially resigned as Alabama Governor.
News 5 has learned that the Governor handed in his resignation papers before being booked and released at the Montgomery County Jail. Bentley appeared sullen and looked down at the floor during the Monday afternoon session.
Bentley will receive 12 months unsupervised probation after pleading guilty to the misdemeanor charges. He will also waive all his benefits and won’t be able to run for public office.
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.
Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey will be sworn in as the 54th Alabama Governor at 6:00pm.COMPLETE COVERAGE OF ALABAMA’S POLITICAL CRISIS
UPDATE (4:45 p.m.) – Robert Julian Bentley has been booked into the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office amid his resignation as Alabama Governor.
Bentley’s booking sheet on the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office website shows a mugshot and it does list two charges against him: “Failure to File Camp” and “Failure/Disclose Eco.”
The first charge is believed to be related to campaign funds, while the nature of the second is still unclear at this time.
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 with his top aide, Rebekah Mason.
The Republican governor has acknowledged making personal mistakes but has denied doing anything illegal or anything that would merit removal from office.
News 5 is told Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey could be sworn in immediately after Bentley’s resignation is formally announced.
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11:25 a.m.
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.