Gov. Robert Bentley speaks during Alabama Community College Day on the Alabama Capitol lawn on Tuesday, April 5, 2016, in Montgomery, Ala. Republican Rep. Ed Henry says he is filing an impeachment resolution against Gov. Bentley in the wake of a scandal involving one of the governor’s top aides, who has since resigned. The resolution will likely be sent to the House Rules Committee for consideration. (Albert Cesare/Montgomery Advertiser via AP) MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama legislators plan to set up a committee to probe the merits of impeaching Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, who has acknowledged making sexually charged remarks to a female aide.
House Rules Chairman Mac McCutcheon on Thursday called Bentley’s actions “shameful,” but said lawmakers need more information on what happened and clarity on the state’s seldom-used process of impeachment.
“I want to make sure we have all of our facts,” McCutcheon said.
The move hit the pause button on proceedings as legislators try to wade through the facts of the accusations against Bentley and a murky impeachment process that hasn’t been utilized in a century. It wasn’t immediately clear what, if any, action might be taken before the end of the session next month. McCutcheon said he’d like to resolve the issue before the end of session but wouldn’t speak to a specific timeline.
“In no way is this thing being looked at to try to slow it down or sweep it under the rug,” McCutcheon said. “This is an important issue for the state, and we need to look at it the right way.”