A long-simmering political drama in Alabama appears to be coming to a boil as several state leaders have asked for Gov. Robert Bentley's resignation this week.
While we are deeply saddened by these circumstances, the Alabama Republican Party holds their elected officials accountable and demands the utmost integrity of office holders.
The committee will make a recommendation to the full House on whether to impeach Bentley.
Jones says the committee will meet Monday to discuss the next steps.
The scandal has plagued Bentley since 2016, when recordings from 2014 emerged of him making sexually explicit comments to one of his advisors, Rebekah Mason. He stood on the marble steps of the state Capitol on Friday and somberly acknowledged making personal mistakes but maintained he did nothing to merit his removal from office.
Calls to Bentley's legal team and a representative were not immediately returned. Bentley, who is in his second term, is accused of inappropriate use of state resources. The Alabama Ethics Commission could weigh in soon on whether there's reason to believe Bentley broke state law in a scandal that has engulfed him for a year.
"Clear United States and Alabama Supreme Court precedent establish that the governor is entitled to due process protections in impeachment proceedings brought against him", the filing stated, noting the House's adopted rules on impeachment a year ago.
"I really don't understand why they want do that", he said.
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Bentley attorney Ross Garber said the rule of law applies, "even in impeachments".
Sharman on publicly released his report to the House Judiciary Committee on Friday. Griffin was initially appointed to the bench by Bentley before being elected.
The special counsel to the Judiciary Committee, Sharman, has said the committee hadn't violated any due process rights.
"You have a branch of government, the executive branch, who has come to a separate branch of government attempting to enjoin the proceedings of a third, co-equal branch of government", Lathram said.
In the court session, Bentley's attorney asked Circuit Judge Roman Shaul to delay the public release of the report.
According to the report, Bentley "directed law enforcement to advance his personal interests", and became increasingly paranoid about the existence and publication of audiotapes that revealed an intimate relationship with his former top political adviser, Rebekah Mason.
Late Friday afternoon, the state House Judiciary Committee's special counsel released a lengthy impeachment investigation report laying out all the sordid details of the alleged affair and subsequent effort to stymie any investigations stemming from it. He wrote that Bentley's loyalties shifted from the state to himself as he tried to keep the relationship quiet. The report also contains accusations that Bentley brought Mason with him in state vehicles and aircraft, at times overriding his security detail to do so.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley's lawyers headed back to court after a new judge was assigned to hear his request to block impeachment proceedings.
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