Alabama Governor Could Face Prosecution on Ethics Charges
Alabama Governor Could Face Prosecution on Ethics Charges:- Gov. Robert Bentley of Alabama could face criminal prosecution after a state ethics panel found probable cause that he broke ethics and campaign finance laws in a sex-tinged scandal that has engulfed him for over a year.
The Alabama Ethics Commission, after an all-day meeting on Wednesday, voted to refer four issues to the district attorney’s office, which will decide whether to pursue charges. The commission found probable cause to believe that Mr. Bentley had misused state resources and campaign funds, improperly accepted a campaign donation outside of an allowed fund-raising window, and lent himself campaign money when he was not a candidate.
The decision was a legal and political blow to Mr. Bentley, a Republican who has been under scrutiny since recordings surfaced last year of him making suggestive remarks to a female aide before his divorce. Mr. Bentley has acknowledged making personal mistakes but said that he did nothing legally wrong.
One of his lawyers, William C. Athanas, said Wednesday that the governor maintained his innocence.
“We disagree strongly with the result, but I think it is important to keep in mind that it is a finding of probable cause, not finding of a violation,” Mr. Athanas said. “The battle goes on.” He added that he planned to talk to prosecutors and that there was no basis for charges.
The state auditor, Jim Zeigler, filed an ethics complaint accusing Mr. Bentley of using state resources to pursue a relationship with the aide, Rebekah Caldwell Mason, who resigned shortly after the recordings became public.
Mr. Zeigler praised the decision on Wednesday, but said it was “only the first step.”
“I am pleased that the governor is going to finally face accountability, and sad for the state of Alabama that we’ve had to go through this the last year and a half,” he said.
The commission did not offer many details about the accusations against Mr. Bentley. On the ethics complaint, it found that there was probable cause to believe he had used public resources, including “subordinate personnel, equipment and time, all under his discretion or control, to further his personal interests.” It did not elaborate.
The commission’s witnesses are expected to include Spencer Collier, Mr. Bentley’s former law enforcement secretary and the first person to publicly raise concerns about the relationship; Ray Lewis, Mr. Bentley’s former bodyguard; and John H. Merrill, the Alabama secretary of state.
Mr. Merrill questioned Mr. Bentley’s use of nearly $9,000 in campaign funds for a lawyer representing Ms. Mason, saying that was not a permissible use of such money under state law.
The governor, who by law cannot seek re-election, also reported last year that he had lent his campaign $50,000 as he emptied his campaign account to pay legal bills.
The scandal could give political ammunition to lawmakers who want to impeach Mr. Bentley. Twenty-three lawmakers filed impeachment articles against him last year, accusing him of corruption and neglect of duty. The special counsel for the state’s House Judiciary Committee, which is conducting the impeachment investigation, tentatively plans to issue his report on Friday.
Ross Garber, the lawyer representing Mr. Bentley in the impeachment investigation, has urged lawmakers to be cautious, saying that only the most egregious conduct merits removal. Mr. Garber, who also represented South Carolina and Connecticut governors during impeachment inquiries, said that only two governors had been removed in modern times, and that both had faced criminal indictment.
Source:- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/us/alabama-governor-ethics-prosecution.html
