Senior Advisor at Center of Bentley Affair Scandal Resigns
Governor Bentley’s Senior Political Advisor Rebekah Caldwell Mason has resigned. Mason has been in the spotlight since last week, when former ALEA head Spencer Collier publicly described her alleged affair with the governor. Collier called Mason “the de facto governor,” referencing the extreme power he says she had over the governor’s decisions.
Tapes of the governor and Mason having a sexually explicit conversation also surfaced last week.
In a statement distributed by Governor Bentley’s office, Mason writes “I have resigned as Senior Political Advisor to Governor Bentley and will no longer be paid from his campaign fund. I have also ended my work with the Alabama Council For Excellent Government.”
“My only plans are to focus my full attention on my precious children and my husband who I love dearly,” continues Mason’s statement. “They are the most important people in my life. Thank you for your prayers for our family.”
Mason’s resignation comes just hours after Governor Robert Bentley told the media he had no intentions of resigning. Bentley made the comments today during a visit meant to highlight broadband issues and rural health in Russellville, his second public appearance since the scandal broke. Bentley seemed to be looking to the future.
“My intentions are to make this state better,” said Bentley. “My intentions are to work through all the problems that we’re going through.”
At the time, Bentley added that “there may be some organizational changes” in the governors office.
Calls for Bentley’s resignation continue to grow among Alabama Republicans and Democrats alike. Al.com reports a special agent with the Alabama Ethics Commission will launch an investigation into possible violations by Bentley and Mason.
Esther Ciammachilli contributed to this report.
Birmingham is 3rd worst in the Southeast for ozone pollution, new report says
The American Lung Association's "State of the Air" report shows some metro areas in the Gulf States continue to have poor air quality.
Why haven’t Kansas and Alabama — among other holdouts — expanded access to Medicaid?
Only 10 states have not joined the federal program that expands Medicaid to people who are still in the "coverage gap" for health care
Once praised, settlement to help sickened BP oil spill workers leaves most with nearly nothing
Thousands of ordinary people who helped clean up after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico say they got sick. A court settlement was supposed to help compensate them, but it hasn’t turned out as expected.
Q&A: How harm reduction can help mitigate the opioid crisis
Maia Szalavitz discusses harm reduction's effectiveness against drug addiction, how punitive policies can hurt people who need pain medication and more.
The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring a Community Engagement Producer
The Gulf States Newsroom is seeking a curious, creative and collaborative professional to work with our regional team to build up engaged journalism efforts.
Gambling bills face uncertain future in the Alabama legislature
This year looked to be different for lottery and gambling legislation, which has fallen short for years in the Alabama legislature. But this week, with only a handful of meeting days left, competing House and Senate proposals were sent to a conference committee to work out differences.
