When Alabammy's Republican Governor Robert Bentley ran for office, he ran on a specific message of family values. His campaign ads were wall-to-wall full of his religion, and his family, including his wife of some 50 years (who has since filed for divorce; read on). He's defiantly anti-same sex marriage, tweeting on June 26 of last year, "Regardless of today's ruling by the Supreme Court, I still believe in a one man one woman definition of marriage." He's even a deacon in his Southern Baptist church, who infamously declared on his inauguration day that, “anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I'm telling you, you're not my brother and you're not my sister, and I want to be your brother." A piece of work.
Since hypocrisy seems to be in the DNA of the most conservative Republican politicians, it's not a huge surprise that Bentley was involved in an affair with one of his (much younger) female staff members, Rebekah Caldwell Mason. In a press conference yesterday, Bentley vaguely apologized for his actions, which he said stopped short of a sexual affair. Sadly for God-bothering Bentley, recording equipment has already been invented, and he was caught in an explicit conversation with the female staff member, who is married with three children. Law enforcement is investigating whether the Governor broke state or Federal laws in conducting, facilitating or covering up the affair in using state resources. Few if any people are buying the Governor's "it was just sexting" claim, given the recordings which are now public (warning: you may have to shower after hearing them).
Watch for Bentley, who is in serious legal if not political trouble, to return in a few days with words of repentance and moist eyes, calling on the voters to forgive him his sins as Jeebus already has. His estranged wife and the husband and family of his mistress, probably not so much.
BONUS: Here are pictures of the old goat and of Ms. Mason and the family he likely broke up:
