Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has resigned following allegations he used state resources to cover up an affair he was having with one of his former aides.
On Monday afternoon, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Bentley had been booked on two misdemeanor charges —one for failing to file a major contribution report and another for knowingly using campaign contributions for personal use. He plead guilty to both charges, each carried a $300 bond, and has been sentenced to 12 months of unsupervised probation.
When asked at the Montgomery County Courthouse if he was guilty, Bentley responded, “Yes, sir.”
Over the past few days, Bentley had been called on to resign by multiple state Party leaders, including Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon, Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh and the state Republican Party Steering Committee.
Bentley is the fourth Alabama governor to step down or be forced out of office.
Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey will be sworn in as Alabama’s second female governor and its first female Republican governor at 6 p.m. CT.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Watch Bentley’s entire resignation speech below: