Governor who called same-sex marriage a ‘social experiment’ facing impeachment over affair
By Joshua Haigh
The Alabama Supreme Court has given the go ahead for impeachment proceedings against Republican Governor Robert Bentley.
The anti-gay politician, who previously labelled same-sex marriage as nothing more than a “social experiment,” has been accused of having an affair with his female aide.
Back in 2016, texts and audio recordings of Bentley making sexual remarks to a senior female aide in his office were leaked. Shortly after, his wife of 50 years, Dianne, divorced him.
He’s since ignored calls for his resignation, and has insisted that he never “misused” state resources.
“I do not plan to resign. I have done nothing illegal. If the people want to know if I misused state resources, the answer is simply no. I have not,” he said.
When same-sex marriage was legalised in the US by the Supreme Court, Bentley said he was “disappointed” by the landmark ruling.
“I have always believed in the Biblical definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman,” he said in a statement at the time.
“That definition has been deeply rooted in our society for thousands of years… The people of Alabama also voted to define marriage as between a man and woman. I always respect the people’s vote, and I am disappointed that the Supreme Court has disregarded the choice made by the people of Alabama in its decision today.”
How ironic.
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