Forget Jim McGreevey or Mark Sanford–the new “love guv” is a 73 year old dermatologist who until very recently was a married-for-decades father of four with ramrod straight reputation.
Not anymore.
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley is now full-on embroiled in a sex scandal after audiotapes surfaced demonstrating that the governor had something more than a casual relationship with his top aide, Rebekah Caldwell Mason.
Rumors have tied Bentley and Mason together for months, but the saucy phone calls, which you can listen to in their entirety if you’re into hearing old dudes talk in detail about their sexytime, strongly suggest that the two had more than just an office flirtation. Bentley denies the two ever slept together, but at least once on the tape, he makes reference to “locking the door” “next time.”
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It’s probably safe to say, at least, that Robert Bentley has more in common with Jay Z right now than he ever thought possible.
Bentley is likely going to face impeachment (Alabama does not have a recall provision, so it’s up to the legislature), and lawmakers are already marshaling support for an impeachment resolution, which could be put to a vote as early as Tuesday. Bentley refuses to step down, and insists to local media that his involvement with Mason was merely professional, that “his sins were in the words that he used,” and, possibly, that he was just trying to outline that Ms. Mason required a thorough breast exam for cancer screening purposes.
But Bentley’s weirdness doesn’t begin or end with office dalliances. Turns out he’s got a parade of unusual incidents to his credit.
A Strange Campaign: The now-governor was able to get a foothold in the election that brought him to office only after the Republican front-runner appeared to suggest that some parts of the Bible were not meant to be taken literally.
Legally a “Dr.”: Robert Bentley is a retired physician-turned-pastor, and goes by “Dr. Bentley,” when he’s not too busy being governor. But when the Republican party wouldn’t let him put the “Dr.” in front of his name on the ballot (they said it was unnecessary, akin to a nickname), he had his name legally changed to “Dr Robert Bentley.” The GOP rejected his request, but only because in approving it, they’d also have to approve a listing for “Judge Roy Moore” and “Cowboy Dale Peterson.” Peterson, obviously, was the kicker.
Out-shined by a Football Trophy: When Gov. Bentley held his inauguration in Montgomery, Alabama, he wasn’t the star of the show, despite having just been sworn in to lead the state. That honor went to two crystal national championship football trophies, one from the University of Alabama and one from Alabama University.
Only Christians Are His “Brothers and Sisters”: Bentley’s term started off on the wrong foot when he proclaimed, within weeks of his inauguration, that he preferred his constituents to be living in the Holy Spirit. Unsurprisingly, people who didn’t share Bentley’s view on who he served as governor got upset, and a now-familiar face, “communications director” Rebekah Caldwell Mason, was sent in to clean up the mess.
Oddly enough, though she was highly influential in Bentley’s administration (according to investigative reporters, at least), Mason was never listed as a state employee, according to investigators.
A Strange Appointment: Ms. Mason’s husband, Jon Mason, is the head of the Alabama office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives. If you’re concerned that the appointment might have been made for less-than-stellar reasons, consider that Mr. Mason’s previous experience in government happened sometime in his previous job as a television weatherman.
A Post-Divorce Beach Party: Bentley’s wife of 40 years filed for divorce in 2015, and we probably now know why. But after she took off from his life, Bentley took off for the beach, and set to remodeling the state’s Gulf Coast governor’s mansion, that had languished in disrepair since being in the path of a 1997 hurricane.
To make the place habitable again, Bentley reportedly spent $2 million, but since Alabama is having trouble meeting it’s bills, and taxpayers were unlikely to approve of the expenditure, Bentley took the money from a $25 million grant from BP, an “I’m sorry” gift from the company after the Deepwater Horizon incident. That’s bad news for people who really needed that money to repair and rebuild, but good news for property values in the area, where Bentley also owns a home.
The interesting part in all of this is that Bentley may be safe – for now. The Alabama legislative session is waning, and lawmakers have only a few short weeks to put an impeachment proceeding on the books before they disband for the summer. Otherwise, they’ll have to stew on Bentley’s extra-curricular activities all summer while he lounges at his beach house, still governor.
