An escalating sex scandal related to a corruption case and an alleged retaliatory firing is causing some Alabama lawmakers to lose faith in Republican Gov. Robert Bentley, who publicly denied sleeping with an aide Wednesday before the release of a sexually-charged audio recording.

Bentley appeared to concede the existence of the recording Wednesday and apologized for making inappropriate comments to a staffer two years ago, but he specifically denied having a physical relationship with Rebekah Mason, his senior political adviser, or misusing state resources to hide it.

The subsequently released audio features Bentley talking to a woman on the phone and corroborates claims made by Spencer Collier, whom Bentley fired as the state’s secretary of law enforcement Tuesday.

In the recording, the governor discusses the woman’s breasts and apparent sexual encounters.

“Baby, let me tell you what we’re gonna have to do tonight: start locking the door,” Bentley is recorded saying. “If we’re gonna do what we did the other day, we’re gonna have to start locking the door.”

Collier claims the governor admitted the affair in 2014 and told him last month the relationship was ongoing. Bentley’s wife of 50 years filed for divorce last year but has not publicly said why.

Bentley said Tuesday he fired Collier for possible misuse of state funds, but Collier says it actually was punishment for ignoring the governor's instructions not to sign an affidavit in the high-profile corruption case of Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard, a Republican scheduled for trial next month.

The man appointed by Bentley to Collier's former job, Stan Stabler, played a key role in the affair allegation. He allegedly discovered a sexual text message on Bentley's cellphone in August 2014 and notified his superiors, though he denied Collier's claims Wednesday.

The audio recording, which Collier says was made by a Bentley family member in August 2014, matches the initial public allegation and appears also to corroborate Collier's claim there was an intercepted text message. "He couldn't tell who I was sending it to and it didn’t say, ‘Hey baby, I love you so much,'” Bentley is recorded telling the woman, whose voice isn't heard.

Listen to Gov. Bentley's sexual talk:



“It’s a disgrace, that’s the only thing that I can say,” says Republican state Rep. Allen Farley, who in September asked the state attorney general to investigate rumors that Bentley was using state resources to conduct an affair.

“I believe he should resign,” Farley says. “I don’t want anybody representing me or my family or my community that conducts himself in that manner, especially in the statehouse.”

Farley says the governor found an electoral base among conservative Christians by touting his work as a Sunday school teacher and church deacon, and that they now are horrified by the scandal that’s unfolding. He says he’s personally disturbed that fellow lawmakers would excuse Bentley’s conduct.

“I’ve seen some snippets on television of some of my colleagues in Montgomery and their response -- there was a senator who said ‘that’s his personal business,’ then there was a veteran multi-term house member who said ‘that’s his personal business,” Farley says. “It’s as disturbing to me, almost, as the governor’s actions.”

The state’s Democratic leaders have not yet attempted to win political points on the issue, but state Rep. Patricia Todd, a Democrat who is the state’s only openly gay elected official, says she like Farley sees hypocrisy.

“If this had been a Democrat, my goodness, they would have crucified him already,” she says, adding: “It is frustrating for me as the only openly gay elected official hearing people from that side of the aide espouse family values and their Christianity when they use it as a weapon against the gay community, and then something like this happens.”

Todd says she’s not prepared to call for his resignation yet, but says “I do think it’s a stain on the state of Alabama” and “would be amusing if it wasn’t so serious.”

“This isn’t the first man caught doing this, that’s why we should elect more women,” she jokes.

Todd says she feels sorry for the families involved, but that “honestly it’s none of our business if he didn’t break any laws, which is yet to be proven.”

Collier said Wednesday Bentley should be investigated for potentially felonious conduct, particularly use of state or campaign funds to facilitate an affair. Adultery remains a misdemeanor with a one-year statute of limitations in Alabama, but leading attorneys tell U.S. News it’s never prosecuted and that the law actually helps adulterers, allowing them to invoke their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when questioned about prior infidelities.

The Alabama attorney general’s office has not responded to media requests for comment on whether an investigation is underway. The governor’s spokeswoman also did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Mason said the allegations were an example of "gender bias."

Though many state officials are walking on eggshells, Farley notes it is beyond a political issue. . “There are a lot of victims here,” he says, including the families of Mason, Bentley and Collier.

“If these people want everything they do to be private, they don’t need to be in public office,” he says. “[Bentley] needs to go back to being a dermatologist and have a private practice, and if his reputation for what he says and does and how he conducts himself hurts his business, that’s up to him.”