J. Mark White

News / State

Hubbard, Bentley hoped to evade justice with Steve Marshall’s appointment as attorney general

When President Donald J. Trump chose Alabama’s U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions as U.S. Attorney General, that opened a door for then-Gov. Robert Bentley to solve two problems. As Bentley and his alleged girlfriend, Rebekah Caldwell Mason, saw it, Attorney General Luther Strange was a problem, so were Special Prosecutions Division Chief Matt Hart and Acting … Continued

Bill Britt

September 17, 2018

Opinion

What can we learn on the Plains of Weehawken?

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter “If we had an Attorney General, there’d be a Grand Jury,” said a retired judge referring to revelations in APR’s exit interview with Ethics Commissioner, Dr. Stewart Tankersley. Examples of collusion, questionable opinions, and other suspect activity, he said, “should be before a Grand Jury, and we should ask … Continued

Bill Britt

August 9, 2017

Opinion

Tankersley Exit Interview: Final

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter “Somebody should do something.” After nearly five years of being rebuffed for his common-sense stance on the Ethics Commission, Dr. Stewart Hill Tankersley is doing something significant: Exposing institutional corruption and the particular failings of the Commission, sworn to hold every public official to the letter of the law. … Continued

Bill Britt

August 7, 2017

Opinion

What’s the going rate?

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter What are we to make of an Attorney General who takes campaign donations from a lawyer/lobbyist who would gut the State’s Ethics laws? In the political world, friends give campaign donations, but political action committees, lawyers, lobbyists, and businesses invest; and they expect a return on their investment. So, … Continued

Bill Britt

July 27, 2017

Senator Strange appoints former Chief Deputy as Chief of Staff

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter Many questions surround the appointment of Luther Strange as US Senator, but Strange hiring Kevin Turner as his Chief of Staff is an unseen turn of events. Turner served as Strange’s Chief Deputy until allegations of dubious actions in the criminal investigation of former Speaker Mike Hubbard surfaced. During … Continued

Bill Britt

February 13, 2017

Opinion

Some are using a stalking horse to undermine ethics laws

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter The greatest challenge before the Alabama State Legislature when it returns in February is not the budget, schools or Medicaid. It is the slight of hand chicanery used to undermine the State’s ethics laws. Since the conviction of former Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard on 12 felony ethics … Continued

Bill Britt

January 10, 2017

Speculation swirls around new Birmingham Water Works Board

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter For several years, lawmakers from Birmingham, Jefferson and surrounding counties have engaged in a turf war to reform the Birmingham Waterworks Board (BWWB). Even now, as the much sought after reforms have become law, as of January 1, 2017, the fight to maintain the status quo continues in backrooms … Continued

Bill Britt

January 3, 2017

What’s happening with Jack?

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter Few championed the cause of disgraced Speaker of the House, Mike Hubbard, more than Birmingham Republican State Rep. Jack Williams. From organizing a letter to the Obama Administration’s Attorney General Loretta Lynch to pushing legislation to aid Hubbard, it has been Williams who has fought so faithfully for the … Continued

Bill Britt

December 20, 2016

Ethics Commission withdraws McCalla opinion after charities line-up

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter In a unanimous vote on September 1, 2016, the Alabama Ethics Commission issued advisory opinion 2016-24, which it believed clarified the question regarding public officials soliciting lobbyists and principals for contributions to a charitable organization, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The issue was raised by the nonprofit group, Friends … Continued

Bill Britt

December 8, 2016

Opinion

Alabama Supreme Court’s Actions: Justice or Machiavellian Scheme

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter The Judicial Inquiry Commission (JIC) and several justices on the Alabama Supreme Court are attempting, it appears, to avoid further unwanted scrutiny of their conduct in the case against Chief Justice Roy Moore. The Commission, commonly referred to as the JIC, is hoping to steer clear of another growing … Continued

Bill Britt

October 26, 2016