Top aide to Alabama governor resigns amid allegations of an affair

(Image credit: Twitter.com/PatDuggins)

published 30 March 2016

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.

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.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Explore More

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.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox