Alabama leaders who worked to force the Monday resignation of Gov. Robert Bentley are turning their fire on the man who stalled impeachment proceedings against the governor before gaining an appointment to the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Luther Strange, who oversaw an investigation of Bentley as state attorney general before accepting Bentley's nomination to the Senate, has denied wrongdoing, but critics express alarm about his pre-appointment obfuscation about the nature of his office’s investigation and the generous and arguably illegal terms of his appointment.

“It’s a new day in Alabama, but the clouds are not completely cleared,” says state auditor Jim Zeigler, who was influential in helping oust the governor, a fellow Republican. “The appointment of Senator Strange smells to high heaven.”

Bentley clung to his office despite a thicket of scandal featuring an alleged retaliatory firing of a whistleblower who defied an order not to participate in a corruption case against the then-state House speaker and an alleged affair with a senior aide. He pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor campaign finance crimes Monday, after being excoriated by the state ethics commission and state House judiciary committee.

Bentley foes see Strange as a primary reason it took so long. The judiciary committee was asked by Strange to suspend its impeachment work in early November, pending "related work" by Strange's office. As he sought the Senate appointment, Strange said "we have never said in our office that we are investigating the governor," a statement critics now call misleading.

When Strange was appointed to the Senate, his replacement -- picked by Bentley -- acknowledged Bentley was indeed under investigation and appointed a special prosecutor to avoid the appearance of impropriety.

State Rep. Allen Farley, a Republican member of the judiciary committee, says the nature of Strange’s appointment “seems to be the topic that’s risen to the top of the charts” following Bentley’s resignation, though he says his committee would not be investigating the appointment without a specific mandate from the full chamber.

So who would look into Strange's appointment?

State Rep. Ed Henry, a born-again Republican who pushed hard for Bentley’s impeachment, says he wouldn't rule out a federal investigation.

Henry relayed to U.S. News a shocking conversation he says he had with Bentley on the day Strange accepted the Senate appointment. Henry says he organized the Feb. 9 meeting to apologize to Bentley for enjoying his suffering, something he felt compelled to do recalling his personal experience being “saved.” At the meeting, Henry says he cautioned Bentley against appointing Strange, only to hear a jaw-dropping explanation from the governor.

“I met with Gov. Bentley the day he appointed Strange and told him, ‘If you do this, you will be impeached’,” Henry recalls. “Gov. Bentley’s reply to me was, ‘Ed, we have to get rid of him. He’s corrupt.’ And I said, ‘You’re going to appoint someone who you believe to be corrupt to the U.S. Senate?’ He said, ‘We have to.’ I said, ‘Even if that means you most likely will be indicted or impeached?’ He said, ‘I’m not going to be indicted, I get to appoint his successor.’”

Bentley attorney Bill Athanas says Henry’s recollection is “absolutely absurd" and says "that conversation never happened.”

Athanas says he discussed the allegation with Bentley on Tuesday afternoon, and that the former governor denied it.

"That is an outrageous accusation," he says. "You can publish an unequivocal denial that conversation took place."

Athanas questioned why Henry "had this information he believed was evidence of criminal activity and he didn't tell anyone until 2 months later in a random conversation with a reporter."

Henry says, however, he told three fellow state lawmakers immediately after his conversation with Bentley. Two were reached by U.S. News and said Henry did tell them about the alleged conversation.

“Ed told me that the governor told him he knew Luther was corrupt and that's why [he was appointing him] -- to get rid of him," says Republican state Rep. Mike Ball, a former law enforcement investigator and chairman of the state house's ethics and campaign finance committee.

Republican state Rep. Connie Rowe says Henry hastily assembled a meeting with her, Ball and a third legislator after meeting with the governor.

"Yes, that is what he told me," Rowe says, after being read the quotes.

Rowe, a former police chief of Jasper, Alabama, and one of six finalists for the U.S. Senate seat awarded to Strange, says she has not formally been interviewed by authorities, but has "had some causal conversations with members of the law enforcement community" regarding Strange's appointment.

Strange strenuously denies that he got the job because of a corrupt deal, telling the Washington Examiner last week "it's frustrating when people question your integrity."

In his defense various points are offered: His request that the House Judiciary Committee delay its impeachment work came days before President Donald Trump won the November election, eventually opening Jeff Sessions' Senate seat; that standard state attorney general office policy is not to confirm or deny an investigation; that he didn't appoint a special prosecutor because he didn't think he'd get appointed to the Senate; that he has nothing to do with Bentley setting a post-appointment special election in 2018 rather than 2017, as arguably is required by law.

"The timeline and facts surrounding the Attorney General Office’s investigation into Governor Bentley are crystal clear, and can only be misconstrued by those with a personal vendetta," a spokeswoman for Strange says in a statement.

If doubters have their way, however, some of the same entities that brought down Bentley may investigate Strange's appointment.

The Alabama Ethics Commission, which last week found probable cause Bentley broke laws, has a four-year statute of limitations to investigate alleged misconduct of former state officials, or two years if the alleged crime is a misdemeanor.

It's unclear if the commission has received a citizen's complaint regarding Strange's appointment. Thomas Albritton, executive director of the commission, says "we are not allowed to comment on whether any matter is pending in our office."

A complaint seeking the commission's review, however, may be imminent.

Attorney Samuel McLure, who is in private practice but identifies as a Republican, says he may file an ethics complaint regarding Strange's appointment as early as this week.

McLure last week filed a complaint with the Alabama State Bar seeking Strange's disbarment. He says Strange taking the Senate job was akin to a white-collar crime prosecutor stalling an investigation and then accepting a coveted job from the target.

The state attorney general's office could also investigate. In a mysterious Tuesday statement, special prosecutor Ellen Brooks said the office's investigation of Bentley was resolved by his guilty pleas, but that a larger probe was not necessarily over.

"What happened yesterday -- the plea agreement and resignation of Gov. Bentley -- concludes the investigation as to the former governor, but does not necessarily conclude the investigation," says Mike Lewis, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, relaying Brooks' words.

Lewis could not immediately speak to whether Strange is a focus.

Against suspicion and possible investigation of the Senate appointment is wrangling over the date Bentley selected for Strange to face re-election.

Zeigler will appear in court Wednesday as part of his lawsuit to move the election date forward, arguing Bentley ignored the requirement that the election be called "forthwith."

“Gov. Bentley illegally set the special election to the November 2018 election cycle so Strange would get a free ride for nearly two years without having to face Alabama voters,” he says.

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, a Republican, says he agrees that Bentley did not comply with the meaning of "forthwith" in state law when scheduling a post-appointment special election.

"Any definition we could find for forthwith means immediately or as soon as possible," Merrill says. "As soon as possible is not 18 months from the date."

"For me to say why the governor chose to do what he did would require conjecture on my part," Merrill says. "People say a lot of things about a lot of things."

Merrill doubts Zeigler has standing to challenge the date of the election, saying only his office has the power to bring such a lawsuit. He says one easy route to move the special election date forward -- seeking a state attorney general opinion -- isn't possible because of the pending litigation.

Merrill says, however, that the new governor can move forward the election date "with the stroke of a pen."