Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley admitted to sending “inappropriate” messages to a top political adviser, but denied engaging in a sexual relationship with the woman, according to a statement made Wednesday night.
The Republican governor addressed the incident in a press conference Wednesday, but denied many of the claims put forth by Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary Spencer Collier.
Collier discovered the affair and was fired by Bentley on Tuesday, but not before telling the media the governor had admitted he was “madly in love” with his aide Rebekah Mason to the point that he would lease a state plane to take her on work trips with him so as not to draw attention to her travels with the governor.
The governor now faces a possible investigation and criminal charges if he is found to have misused state resources as a result of the relationship.
Bentley’s wife divorced him last August, but has not stated the reason for the divorce in a way that implicates Mason as a factor. The governor said Wednesday that he has made amends with the aide’s family and does not intend to resign from office.
Mason has maintained that she is a victim of “gender bias” because “there are still some people who are set on hindering the ability of women to work in the political arena.”
