Alabama Governor Scandal: Sex, Lies And Leaked Audio Tape

Leaked audio recordings have caught Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley speaking salaciously to his alleged mistress, blowing the doors open on a long-rumored affair in the state’s capital involving the recently divorced governor and a top aide.

A disgruntled former employee went all scorched-earth on Bentley, delivering the governor’s dirty laundry to the state’s largest media outlet, AL.com.

Following a news conference that Bentley used to issue a firm denial of any sort of sexual affair, AL.com published the tapes that include the 73-year-old Bentley talking about someone’s “breasts” and saying next time, “We are going to have to start locking the door.”

The comments would be considered tame in most circumstances but not so in deeply religious Alabama, where “family values” and “one man, one woman” arguments — now known as “hypocrisy” — have been staples of Bentley’s term.

Here’s what you need to know.

The backstory

Bentley and his wife, Dianne, divorced in the fall.

In a court filing, Dianne Bentley said, "There exists a conflict of personalities which destroys the legitimate aims of matrimony and all possibilities of reconciliation are futile.”

Pretty strong words. She did not say, though, what specifically led to the divorce, and all anyone in the state could do was speculate.

Until…

...The whistleblower blew

The state’s top cop, Stephen Collier, was fired Tuesday by Bentley for misappropriation of state funds.

Collier did not pass Go or collect $100. Instead, he went straight to AL.com’s John Archibald, the state’s top political reporter.

In a bombshell story published Tuesday evening, Archibald detailed Collier’s allegations of an extramarital affair between Bentley and Rebekah Caldwell Mason.

Among the allegations: scandalous text messages between Bentley and Mason, a proposed family “intervention” of Bentley and audio recordings “of a sexual nature.”

You would have thought he’d have though to take more precautions than what he shared with his alleged mistress when he said...

...“We are going to have to start locking the door”

The smoking gun was audio recordings that Collier said a family member made in 2014 hoping to catch Bentley in the act. Yellowhammer News, a conservative political news site, said Dianne Bentley made part of the recordings while she and her husband were at the beach.

AL.com published the recordings Wednesday. Bentley is heard talking to someone on the phone — Collier, the former top cop, says it’s Mason — though the person on the other end can not be heard.

Bentley says he loves it when, “I put my hands on your breasts.” He also says, "If we are going to do what we did the other day, we are going to have to start locking the door.”

You can listen to the recordings here:

Despite this evidence ...

...Bentley and Mason deny

In a press conference Wednesday — before the recordings were published — Bentley admitted to making inappropriate comments but denied that he and Mason had a sexual relationship.

"I want everyone to know though that I have never had a physical affair with Mrs. Mason,” Bentley said. “I can assure the people of Alabama I have never done anything illegal.”

He also shut down any speculation that he would step down.

Mason, in a statement, dodged the allegations and instead targeted Collier for sexism.

“He (Collier) only said what he said about my professional abilities because I am a woman. His comments were clear, demonstrated gender bias.

“Since 2010, I have proudly served as Gov. Robert Bentley's Campaign Press Secretary, Communications Director, Advisor, Campaign Communications Director and now Senior Policy Advisor. It is an honor to serve our Governor and the people of our state."

Image via Wikimedia Commons