The untold story of how the secret [Gov.]Bentley-Mason affair recordings went public

Yellowhammer News ^ | 4/17/16 | Cliff Sims

[Bodleian_Girl]

As I drove up U.S. Highway 280, swerving in and out of traffic and making my way from suburban Birmingham toward the city’s center, I thought about the events of the past year that had led up to this moment.

For many months the hottest rumor in Alabama politics was that Governor Robert Bentley had engaged in a long-running extramarital affair with his senior political advisor Rebekah Mason, a married mother of three. At first the idea seemed so absurd I dismissed it as politically motivated nonsense. Now, here I was, driving toward an obscure Birmingham gas station to obtain the indisputable evidence that it was all true.

I pulled behind the gas station to find a thumb drive exactly where I was told it would be.

I jumped back in the car and rushed home, plugged the drive into my computer, opened the file, and within a few minutes I knew Governor Bentley’s legacy would forever be defined by what I was hearing.

"Rebekah, I just, I miss you. I wish I was with you right now… You know, I worry about sometimes I love you so much, I worry about loving you so much… You’d kiss me? I love that. You know I do love that. You know what? 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 on you and pull you in real close. Hey, I love that, too."

I texted Rebekah Mason, “I know it’s late, but we may need to talk tonight.”

(Read the rest at the link!)

[Bodleian_Girl]

Simms was buddy/buddy with Rebekah Mason for quite a while and he (in my opinion) sat on a story he had every reason to believe was true, far longer than he should have. But no surprise there, Yellowhammer News has toted Bentley & Mason's water since jump street.

Mason also manipulated the Birmingham News's long-time political reporter Chuck Dean into publishing what seemed like verbatim press releases from her that spewed her personal narrative and cover-story. He did it with a straight face. But he was dealing with his own Ashley Madison scandal at the time so perhaps he had was easy for Mason to manipulate.

But the fact remains that EVERY major outlet had good reason to know or at least suspect the scandal was happening and that state funds were being used to facilitate the sexual affair and they all sat on it.

It was a blogger (Roger Schuler) who broke the story first, in August of 2015 and then in September Donald Watkins broke with glaring details, on Facebook.

[Bodleian_Girl]

Hat Tip for pointing me to this article RushIsMyTeddyBear!

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Thanks, BG!

[Bodleian_Girl]

Credit where credit is due!

[Bodleian_Girl]

I don’t agree with Donald Watkins on a political level. I’m conservative, he is not. But he’s right on with this report:

“Coming Soon-—

Deep Inside the Criminal Case Against Bentley, Mason

Last August, Roger Alan Shuler and I broke the story of Governor Robert Bentley’s extramarital affair and public corruption scandal with Rebekah Caldwell Mason. My “Forbidden Love” series of articles detailed the extramarital affair. My “Executive Betrayal” series exposed the governor’s public corruption scheme. Roger Alan Shuler was the first journalist to identify Bentley’s paramour — Rebekah Mason — by name.

Other media organizations sat back and criticized the exclusive reporting by Roger Alan Shuler and me as “unethical”, “irresponsible”,”rumor-based”, “gossip”, and “fabricated lies”. The world now knows that our exclusive reports were fact-based, detailed and accurate news.

Roger Alan Shuler and I were targeted by Bentley for harassment and the destruction of our reputations and businesses. Other media organizations were targeted by Bentley and Mason for a seduction into silence. As a result, they ignored Bentley’s sex scandal and betrayal of the public trust, and criticized Roger Alan Shuler and me for our groundbreaking journalism.

Every media organization that criticized the articles written by Roger Alan Shuler and me had direct ties to Bentley or Mason. Their close association with one or both of the two lovers made it easier for them to turn a blind eye to the governor’s “sex for power” and public corruption scandal than to investigate it. What is worse, the governor’s extramarital affair was an open secret in Montgomery, yet these media groups were too afraid to write about it.”

https://www.facebook.com/donald.v.watkins/posts/10209240343947809

[Blue Jays]

The sheer audacity of elected officials (from both parties) is utterly ridiculous. Good post to shed light on these people.

[SteveH]

“executive ignorance” defense?

[Bodleian_Girl]

But if he was doing the deed how can he be ignorant?

[Theodore R.]

AL had a pretty good governor in Guy Hunt, but they got of rid of him. Fob James was pretty good too.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Just read the FB and blog postings. Wow. So now we may know the reason for the safety deposit box and so much more. I think Mason’s hubby may not be totally innocent.

[Bodleian_Girl]

There is something freaky going on with him receiving Paypal payments from the University of Alabama.

That’s outside of his regular job that the governor created for him as the head of “Serve Alabama.” Would be greatly interesting to see where Jon Mason funneled the Serve Alabama money to and what the University of Alabama actually paid him via Paypal for.

[Jemian]

Sorry ping to this whole sorry, sorid mess.

[kosciusko51]

Thanks for the ping.

Bodleian_Girl’s tagline is correct: Governor Bentley must resign!

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

And before that he was a weatherman??? Works for Bentley admin. AND receives 1/4 M for a ‘job’ his co. did for them. Also there isn’t much listed about his ‘business’. Certainly not a prominent website that lists past jobs he’s done. Smells of money laundering to me.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Bodleian_Girl.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Geez. I just ate...

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Jon Mason for The Alabama Association on Nonprofi…: http://youtu.be/j4lUNmJcxNo

Check out this vid. He talks like a ‘community organizer’.

[Bodleian_Girl]

Thanks for the video!

At one point University of Alabama had his listed as being paid as an instructor, but can’t identify a course he taught. (This is separate from the Paypal payments Jon Mason received.)

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Are you serious???? Unreal.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

https://training.ccs.ua.edu/jsp/instructorDetail.jsp?instructorId=639657

He’s listed in the ‘College of Continuing Studies’ in Google search....but the link is dead and not in the database.

Do a search for ‘Jon Mason, instructor, University of Alabama’ and it is about the 2nd link down. May want to get a screen grab.