Alabama governor halts impeachment, not disparaging report
(AP) — Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley won a court fight Friday to halt his looming impeachment hearings, but couldn't prevent the release of an investigative report that describes his paranoia and obsession over trying to keep his romance with a staffer from becoming public.
Shortly before the lawyers argued, Bentley defiantly stood on the steps of the state Capitol and refused growing calls from fellow Republicans that he step down.
Earlier this week, Bentley learned he could face criminal prosecution when the Alabama Ethics Commission found probable cause that he broke ethics and campaign law.
"Gov. Bentley directed law enforcement to advance his personal interests and, in a process characterized by increasing obsession and paranoia, subjected career law enforcement officers to tasks intended to protect his reputation," the report said.
State lawmakers on Friday night filed a notice of emergency appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court — capping a long day of escalating hostilities between the Republican governor and the Republican-controlled legislature.
Bentley twice asked his former security officer Ray Lewis to end his relationship with Mason and instructed the state employee to drive to Tuscaloosa to pressure his son to turn over a copy of a recorded conversation between him and Mason, according to the report.
The controversy erupted last year when the former head of state law enforcement, Spencer Collier, a day after being fired by Bentley, publicly accused Bentley of having an affair with his longtime political adviser, Mason.
Earlier this week, the state Ethics Commission found probable cause that the Republican governor broke state ethics and campaign finance laws.