The Alabama House Judiciary Committee begins Impeachment proceedings for Gov. Robert Bentley today. On Friday, Bentley’s attorneys tried to stop the proceedings, and a Montgomery Circuit Judge ruled in their favor. But on Saturday the Alabama Supreme Court allowed the Judiciary Committee to move forward with the impeachment process. WBHM’s Gigi Douban talked with University of Alabama law professor Jenny Carroll on what Saturday’s Supreme Court decision means, and what to expect in the weeks ahead.
Bentley is facing increasing pressure from state lawmakers to resign in the fallout from an affair with former political aide Rebekah Caldwell Mason. Bentley on Friday appeared on the Capitol steps and said he had no plans to resign, and that he had done nothing illegal.
The House Judiciary Committee released its impeachment investigation report on Friday, despite appeals from Bentley’s attorneys to stop the 131-page document’s release. The report contains evidence Bentley tried to obstruct the investigation, directed law enforcement to advance his personal interests, and refers to last week’s Alabama Ethics Commission finding of probable cause that Bentley violated the state ethics and campaign finance laws.