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The Cleansing
By: Donald V. Watkins
©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) on December 4, 2016
©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) on December 4, 2016
On November 16, 2016, online journalist David Meck Meckley reported that former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard has been "singing like a bird" to a task force of state and federal investigators in hopes of getting his prison sentenced reduced. His article appears at:http://themeck.blogspot.com/…/mike-hubbard-singing-like-bir…. Meckley is right.
Hubbard's cooperation with authorities has led them to others in state and local government. This includes Jefferson County lawmakers and local officials.
Jefferson County Legislators and Local Officials in Deep Trouble
As a result of Hubbard's substantial cooperation with prosecutors, at least four members of the Alabama House of Representatives are under investigation and could possibly be indicted. One of the four -- Oliver Robinson -- suddenly resigned his House seat at the end of November. Three additional Birmingham-area legislators are targets of the investigation. Two of these lawmakers are Republicans and one is a Democrat.
In October, the Alabama Attorney General's Corruption Unit empaneled a grand jury in Jefferson County. This is the prosecutorial unit that took down Mike Hubbard.
We have confirmed that the grand jury is investigating allegations of ethics violations and public corruption inside Birmingham City Hall and the Birmingham Water Works Board. The investigation is also reviewing vendor relationships at other city agencies, including the Birmingham Airport and Birmingham Construction Industry Authority.
Investigators are looking at certain vendor relationships between private contractors and the city of Birmingham, as well as professional services contracts between the Water Works Board and its vendors. The investigation is focused on the procurement processes at these agencies, the pricing of contracts awarded, and the "deliverables", or lack thereof, for services rendered.
Wendell Ray Lewis is Telling All
In addition to Birmingham, the AG's office empaneled a special grand jury in Montgomery earlier this year. Governor Robert Bentley's former chief of security, Wendell Ray Lewis, has already appeared and testified before this grand jury.
We have learned that Lewis' grand jury testimony mirrors the explosive allegations he lodged against the Governor and his lover, Rebekah Caldwell Mason, in a lawsuit Lewis filed in November.
Lewis' testimony independently corroborates the "sex for power" scandal that was detailed in the "Forbidden Love" and "Executive Betrayal" series of articles we published in September and October of 2015. Lewis was NOT the original source for these exclusive articles.
Bentley's lawyers claim Lewis' allegations of a romantic relationship between the Governor and Rebekah Mason are all lies. Ironically, Lewis' allegations are consistent with the "love" talk Bentley lavished upon Rebekah Mason, as captured in Bentley's own words on the sex tapes that were released in March by Yellowhammer News.
Spencer Collier Cleared by AG
Spencer Collier, the former head of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency ("ALEA"), also testified before the Montgomery grand jury regarding the nature and scope of Bentley's illicit relationship with Rebekah Mason.
In February, Bentley smeared Collier by falsely accusing him of wrongdoing at ALEA. In March, Bentley fired Collier.
Collier claims he was forced out of his job as the state's top cop because he warned Bentley that using state resources to romance Rebekah Mason would be a violation of state ethics laws. Like Lewis, Collier tried to get Bentley to end his extramarital affair with Mason. Bentley was incapable of doing so.
On October 20th, the AG's office publicly cleared Collier of any wrongdoing and closed a criminal investigation of Collier that Bentley had been commenced.
In March, Collier confirmed to me that Bentley ordered him to investigate me for any wrongdoing he could find because the Governor was upset with my critical reporting of his misconduct in office. Collier refused this unlawful request.
Undeterred, Bentley, who sometimes refers to himself as the "Chief Magistrate" of Alabama, found other government agencies that were willing to accommodate his retaliatory request. The Alabama State Banking Department was one of these agencies. The Banking Department brought several federal agencies into Bentley's retaliatory scheme.
Cooper Shattuck Resigns
On Friday, Cooper Shattuck, Governor Bentley's former legal adviser, suddenly resigned from his powerful position as General Counsel to the University of Alabama System. Shattuck oversaw Bentley's "dark money" slush fund -- the Alabama Council for Excellent Government – that was formed in 2015 and used to pay Rebekah Mason for "personal services" rendered to the Governor.
The slush fund was established after Mike Echols, Governor Bentley's long-time personal CPA and heavy hitting moneyman for the Robert Bentley Campaign Committee, split from Bentley. Echols resigned his post over a disagreement with Bentley about his love affair with Rebekah Mason.
After the 2014 election, Bentley tried to get Echols to do something questionable with the financial records relating to Rebekah Mason. Bentley's request did not sit well with Echols, a respected Tuscaloosa accountant and well-known PAC organizer. During a heated exchange between the two men, Echols refused the Governor's request and turned over the various checkbooks and financial records in his custody to Bentley. With this handover, the professional relationship between Echols and Bentley ended.
No Plea Deal for Rebekah
Prosecutors have not extended a plea deal to Rebekah Mason. They do not need her cooperation to make their criminal case against these two lovers.
Bentley and Mason have run out of options for avoiding their indictment. The "Forbidden Love" may continue, but Bentley's "Executive Betrayal" is about to end.
Donald V Watkins
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