Republican Governor Robert Bentley of Alabama, a strong believer of ‘traditional marriage’ and vocal opponent of equal rights for same-sex couples, is caught in an extra-marital scandal which is further fuelled by newly released sexually explicit phone sex recording.

Speaking at a State Capitol news conference in Montgomery on Wednesday, Bentley, 73, admitted to the allegations, saying: ‘At times in the past, have I said things that I should not have said? Absolutely, that’s what I’m saying today.’

On top of acknowledging that the affair is a mistake, Bentley also offered his apology:

‘I made a mistake. Two years ago I made a mistake,’ Bentley said, ‘Today I want to apologise to the people of the state of Alabama and once again, I want to apologise to my family. I am truly sorry and I accept full responsibility.’

The alleged mistress is Bentley’s longtime senior political adviser, Rebekah Caldwell Mason, and the affair is believed to have taken place in 2014 while the governor was still married to wife of 50 years, Dianne.

Speculations of Bentley having an affair started in August 2015 when Dianne Bentley had unexpectedly filed for divorce, with court records declaring that their marriage ‘has suffered an irretrievable breakdown.’

On March 23, 2016, Spencer Collier, former secretary of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, broke the story to the public in a press conference, the day after he was fired from his post, saying that he has knowledge of text messages and audio recordings of highly explicit conversations between his superior, Bentley, and Mason.

Collier claimed that his dismissal is due to his refusal to cover up the affair for the governor.

‘I told Gov. Bentley that I loved him like a father and that there was nothing I wouldn’t do for him except lie to a grand jury,’ Collier said in his statement.

‘I made Gov. Bentley aware of the recording that I heard. I told Gov. Bentley there was no need to try and explain it for anything other than it was. It was very obvious that it was sexual in nature.’

Collier further added that ‘Dianne Bentley is the real victim in this,’ and that he would like to tell her that he is sorry for not coming forth with the truth earlier.

The recording, which was allegedly obtained by a family member of the governor, was released last Wednesday by Alabama based news outlet, AL.com:

In the recording, Bentley can be heard professing his love for Mason:

‘Baby, I love you. I know we are in a difficult situation. Unless I make things as normal as possible here, it is going to be hell.’

‘I miss you. I wish you were here with me right now. I wish I could hold you. I wish I could kiss you… I wish that, I do.’

At one point, Bentley speaks of fondling Mason’s chest and doing other sexual acts:

‘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 real close… Hey, I love that too, putting my hands under you.’

He also talks about doing something that involves ‘locking doors’:

‘I love you. I love to talk to you. I do… But baby, lemme tell you what we’re gonna have to do tonight. Start locking the door.’

‘If we’re gonna do what we did the other day, we’re gonna have to start locking the door.’

Throughout the press conference, Bentley insisted that he has not had any sexual relations with Mason.

When asked by a reporter why he would say what he had in the recording if there was no physical relationship, Bentley replied: ‘That is not a physical relationship, making those statements.’

Another question fired at Bentley is if he loved Mason, to which he answered: ‘I love many members of my staff. In fact all the members of my staff. Do I love some more than others? Absolutely.’

Mason, 44, has since issued a statement, reports ABD 33/40 News, accusing the whistle-blower, Collier, of gender bias:

‘As a wife and working mother, I commute four hours a day to serve on a team alongside some of the most dedicated and talented people in the state, who are committed to helping our people.

‘Unfortunately there are still people who are set on hindering the ability of women to work in the political arena. I am proud of what I have accomplished in my professional career.’

However, it is noted that Mason ‘did not directly address the question of whether she had an affair with the governor.’

Bentley has also been slapped with allegations of ethics violations, reports Politico, leading to a legal investigation into ‘misuse of state property’ as well as the legality of Mason’s status as his senior political adviser.

State Auditor Jim Zeigler said in his report: ‘It is clear that [Bentley] is misleading the people of the state about the nature of his relationship, but it is also clear that Ms. Mason is required to either be classified as a public official, or file as a lobbyist, in her capacity as an advisor who is paid by an outside source.’

Zeigler questioned how Mason is paid as she is currently not on the state payroll and has not been since 2013.

In 2014, Mason and her one-person company RCM Communications were reportedly paid $426,978 for the consultation work done for Bentley’s reelection campaign.

Due to the discrepancies in the accounts as well as the additional details of their romantic interactions exposed, Bentley and Mason are accused of ‘using state property in furtherance of their personal relationship.’

#BREAKING: State auditor Jim Zeigler files an ethics complaint against @GovernorBentley and Rebekah Mason. pic.twitter.com/HaEjMzKl3F — WBRC FOX6 News (@WBRCnews) March 25, 2016

Bentley, father of four and grandfather of six, is a former Baptist deacon. He is known to be a vocal opponent of gay rights and same-sex marriage on the basis of his Christian faith.

During his campaign trail in 2010, he said that he ‘will ensure that Alabama does not follow the trend of allowing gay marriages or civil unions.’

‘I will protect our state’s right to define marriage as between one man and one woman,’ Bentley affirmed.

As a pro marriage advocate, he had called Alabamians to work together to protect traditional marriage because a ‘two-parent family provides the best environment of stability, discipline, responsibility, and character.’

In another statement addressing to the U.S. Supreme Court, Bentley called gay marriage a ‘social experiment‘ that destroys the rights of children to be connected to their biological parents.

The governor is also an opponent of raising the minimum wage in his state. In 2015, he voted for the bill that stopped the city of Birmingham from raising their minimum wage from $8.50 to $10.10.

Earlier this month, Occupy Democrats reported that Bentley has given his cabinet members a raise of over $70,000, while the state remains as one of the poorest in the U.S.

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow has also covered the scandal with a cutting breakdown of this true-blue ‘family values’ politician: