Bentley Impeachment Probe Underway
A committee of lawmakers opened impeachment hearings against Governor Robert Bentley today, beginning a probe on whether there are grounds to remove the two-term Republican from office.
“When you’re looking at impeaching a governor, a sitting governor, I don’t think we should take it lightly,” says House Judiciary Committee Chairman Mike Jones regarding the difficulty of the task at hand. “And so, when working and getting ready for these rules and procedures, we didn’t take it lightly. We did a great deal of work and preparation to prepare the members of the committee to adopt rules.”
The process is a lengthy, Jones says, and this is not sitting well with other state officials.
“You’ve heard of a ‘slow boat to China?’ Well, this impeachment process is a ‘slow boat on the Alabama River,” says State Auditor Jim Zeigler, a leading critic of Bentley. “The Mike Hubbard investigation and legal proceedings took three years. If the Bentley investigation takes that long, his term could be over. This is not acceptable. Justice delayed is justice denied,” Zeigler says.
Earlier this spring, 23 representatives signed impeachment article accusing Bentley of corruption and neglect of duty. The articles were filed after Bentley admitted making inappropriate sexual remarks to a former top advisor.
The committee will make a recommendation to the full House on whether impeachment grounds exist.
The impeachment hearings come in a season of political upheaval for GOP office holders.
Mike Hubbard was removed as House speaker after being convicted of ethics violations. Chief Justice Roy Moore faces possible removal after being accused of violating judicial ethics.
Natural gas prices are low, but your monthly gas bill is up. Here’s why
Gas utility bills are rising even though natural gas prices are down. That's because a much larger share of your gas bill now goes to infrastructure instead of fuel.
Media companies thought late night TV was irrelevant. Kimmel proved them wrong
Jimmy Kimmel's return to airwaves might just point the way forward for late night TV to prove its relevance to American audiences — and to itself.
Trent Dilfer fired as UAB’s football coach
UAB has lost three straight, leaving it 9-21 in 2 1/2 seasons under Dilfer. The Blazers were 4-8 in 2023 and 3-9 last year.
Amid shutdown, Trump administration guts department overseeing special education
Multiple sources tell NPR that, as part of the Trump administration's latest reduction-in-force, the U.S. Department of Education has gutted the office that handles special education.
She was about to drop out of college, but then her professor stepped in
Midway through her first semester of college, Silvana Clark realized she didn't have enough money to finish the year. Then, her drama professor stepped in.
In a major milestone, Hamas begins releasing final Israeli hostages
Hamas on Monday began releasing the final Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza, a major milestone in the efforts to end the devastating two years of war in the Palestinian territory.
