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Attorney General Luther Strange asked that impeachment proceedings against Gov. Robert Bentley be suspended because Strange is investigating the governor.

(Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee has suspended hearings on impeachment of Gov. Robert Bentley because the attorney general's office is conducting a related investigation.

Rep. Mike Jones, R-Andalusia, said he is putting a hold on the impeachment proceedings at the request of Attorney General Luther Strange.

"As I said at the first meeting on the Articles of Impeachment, this committee would work cooperatively with other investigating agencies and today's action testifies to that," Jones said in a news release.

"We are temporarily suspending activity at the attorney general's request but we are not abdicating our responsibility. Everything the committee has done remains in effect."

Strange, in his letter to Jones, dated today, wrote that it would be "prudent and beneficial to delay the work of the House Judiciary Committee."

"I respectfully request that the Committee cease active interviews and investigation until I am able to report to you that the necessary related work of my office has been completed," Strange wrote.

Bentley released a statement in response to the letter from Strange and the decision to suspend the impeachment proceedings.

"I respect the position of the attorney general and the leadership of the House of Representatives," the governor said. "My focus will continue to be on doing the work of the people of Alabama."

Ross Garber, an attorney for the governor's office, was also quoted in the statement.

"It is appropriate that the committee's investigation has been suspended," Garber said. "While the attorney general has indicated that he is conducting 'related work,' I am aware of no investigation by the attorney general into the governor or any personnel in the office of the governor."

Today's letter from Strange follows an announcement by the attorney general two weeks ago about an investigation related to Bentley.

Strange announced that an investigation by a special grand jury had cleared former Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary Spencer Collier of accusations of possible misspending of state dollars.

Bentley had accused Collier of possible misspending when he fired Collier in March.

But Strange said witnesses who testified before the grand jury provided no evidence of that.

In April, 23 members of the House of Representatives signed a resolution to impeach Bentley for corruption and neglect of duty.

For months, the governor has faced questions about his relationship with former advisor Rebekah Mason and his decision to fire Collier, who accused him of having an affair with Mason after he was fired.

Bentley admitted to making inappropriate comments to Mason after recordings of his private phone conversations became public.

He and Mason denied having an affair.

Collier said Bentley fired him because Collier gave an affidavit to the attorney general's office in the Mike Hubbard case against Bentley's orders.

The governor has denied breaking any laws or doing anything to justify removing him from office.

The Judiciary Committee is investigating to see whether the impeachment articles have merit.

In September, the committee sent subpoenas to Bentley and seven other people or organizations requesting documents.

Last week, the committee sent formal demands to Bentley and several of his staff members for testimony under oath before the Judiciary Committee's special counsel, Jack Sharman.

Bentley's lawyers have turned over some documents to Sharman. Bentley also asked for a private meeting with the members of the Judiciary Committee in his office.

In today's news release, Jones said compliance with the committee's requests has been "minimal at best."

But Jones said the committee was preparing to schedule hearings to receive testimony and evidence until today's suspension.

House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, issued a statement supporting the decision to suspend the impeachment proceedings.

"While I have complete confidence in the Judiciary Committee and its special counsel, I believe that moving forward with the impeachment hearings while there is an active criminal investigation would put a number of parties in a difficult position," said McCutcheon. "I support pausing the committee investigation and allowing the criminal proceedings to run their course."

Bentley's lawyers have said the governor has not been receiving due process in the impeachment proceedings, partly because they say the allegations are so vague that the say he cannot adequately defend himself.

Bentley's lawyers also objected to the demands to give testimony to Sharman.

This story was edited at 4:53 p.m. to change the headline and first sentence because the attorney general's letter says its investigation is related to the committee's work but does not specifically say it is an investigation of the governor.