Top aide to Alabama governor resigns amid allegations of an affair
One week after Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) admitted he made "inappropriate" comments to his top political adviser, that aide announced she is resigning from her post.
On Wednesday, Rebekah Caldwell Mason said in a statement her "only plans are to focus my full attention on my precious children and my husband who I love dearly. They are the most important people in my life." Bentley released his own statement, saying he appreciated Mason's "service to my administration and the people of this state. I wish the best for her and her family."
While Bentley admitted he made "inappropriate" comments to Mason two years ago, he denied ever having a sexual relationship with her. Former Secretary of Law Enforcement Spencer Collier told AL.com last week that in 2014, Bentley did have an affair, and promised he would end it. Collier said he saw texts and heard recordings "of a sexual nature" between Bentley and Mason; audio recordings allegedly of Bentley talking to Mason have since been leaked to the media. Mason has denied the allegations and said she was the victim of "gender bias," and Bentley said again on Wednesday he does not intend to resign. One Alabama lawmaker is moving to start impeachment against Bentley because of the scandal.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
‘Chess’feature Imperial Theatre, New York City
-
Political cartoons for November 26Cartoons Wednesday's political cartoons include a peace deal for Ukraine, constitutional oaths, and the I.R.S. explained
-
Vaccine critic quietly named CDC’s No. 2 officialSpeed Read Dr. Ralph Abraham joins another prominent vaccine critic, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
