Republican Alabama Governor Robert Bentley booked into jail, pleads guilty, resigns

| 4:08 pm EDT April 10, 2017
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The long corruption saga of Alabama Governor Robert Bentley has ended today with both a bang and a whimper. According to USA Today and other news outlets, Bentley turned himself in to be booked into jail on corruption charges, and after pleading guilty to the charges against him, issued his resignation.

Bentley had been trying to fend off the scandal since last year. Luther Strange, at the time the Alabama State Attorney General, had seemingly backed off from pursuing the scandal in exchange for Bentley appointing him to the U.S. Senate after Jeff Sessions vacated the seat (link). But the scandal nonetheless ultimately closed in on Bentley. What had started off as an affair with a staffer ended up becoming a campaign finance scandal, as he misused resources to her benefit.

Bentley pled guilty in exchange for a suspended sentence, along with probation, the forfeiture of his pension, and the forfeiture of his right to run for office again. While he won’t serve any time, his career and professional life are now over.

With Robert Bentley gone, Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey has no become the Governor of Alabama. The term is set to end with the 2018 election (source: USA Today). But this still leaves Luther Strange occupying a U.S. Senate seat even as questions grow around his role in having tried to protect Bentley, who has now admitted his own guilt. Strange’s Senate seat is not up for reelection until 2020 and is likely to remain in Republican hands, though he could face a primary challenge if the Bentley scandal continues to taint him. Contribute to Palmer Report