Alabama House Speaker Calls for Resignation of Gov. Bentley

Another high-ranking Alabama Republican is urging Gov. Robert Bentley to step down before lawmakers begin impeachment hearings next week.

Republican House Speaker Mac McCutcheon on Friday said that the spectacle has been an embarrassment to the state. McCutcheon says he is hopeful that Bentley would “do the right thing and step down immediately. ”

The Republican leader of the Alabama Senate has also urged Bentley to resign, saying he is not being an effective leader for the state.

Bentley has been engulfed in scandal since recordings surfaced in 2016 of him making suggestive remarks to a female aide before his divorce. Earlier this week, the state Ethics Commission found probable cause that the Republican governor broke state ethics and campaign finance laws and referred the case to a prosecutor’s office.

Bentley says he has been humiliated by the embarrassing details, but is assuring voters he has done nothing illegal.