MONTGOMERY, AL — (CNN) Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley denied at a news conference Wednesday that he and a top aide had a sexual affair after explicit recordings of him became public.
Bentley did not deny the legitimacy of the recordings but told the press that they were made two years ago and, since then, he has made apologies to his family and that of the aide, Rebekah Mason, a former spokeswoman and policy adviser.
“I am truly sorry, and I accept full responsibility,” said Bentley, a Republican serving in his second term. “Today, I want to apologize to the people of Alabama.”
But throughout the news conference, he maintained that the relationship never got physical.
“I want everyone to know, though, that I have never had a physical affair with Mrs. Mason,” Bentley said.
Bentley spoke out after his former law enforcement chief, Spencer Collier, held a news conference earlier in the day in which he accused the governor of the affair and inappropriate use of resources. Collier was fired by the governor the day before.
“As … governor, I have never done anything illegal. I have never asked any member of my staff or any cabinet member to lie,” Bentley said on Wednesday. “At no time have I ever used the resources of my office to facilitate a relationship of any type.”
The tapes were made by the Bentley family, according to AL.com, which published excerpts. The goal was to figure out if Bentley was involved in a relationship.
One portion of the audio was quoted to Bentley at the news conference.
“When I stand behind you, and I put my arms around you, and I put my hands on your breasts, and I put my hands (unintelligible) and just pull you real close. I love that, too,” Bentley said in the recording.
Asked how that did not speak to a physical relationship, Bentley said, “Well, what I’m saying is there was no sexual activity.” He did not elaborate on what that meant.
Bentley and his wife were divorced last year.
Mason has responded to the controversy by accusing Collier of gender bias.
The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. (PHOTO: Wikipedia)
