A special district attorney has been appointed by Alabama’s new attorney general to investigate allegations of misconduct by Governor Robert Bentley.

A portrait of Governor Robert Bentley hangs in the old Alabama Capitol: Glynn Wilson

Steven T. Marshall, appointed by the governor as state attorney general to replace Luther Strange, who will assume the U.S. Senate seat of Jeff Sessions recently confirmed as President Donald J. Trump’s U.S. attorney general, announced the appointment of former Montgomery County District Attorney Ellen Brooks to lead the investigation of Bentley.

In the announcement released Wednesday, Marshall recused himself from the investigation.

“After meeting with the staff of the Special Prosecutions Division of the Attorney General’s Office concerning the status of a possible investigation of Governor Bentley, I have determined to recuse myself from the aforementioned related work and have appointed former Montgomery County District Attorney Ellen Brooks to serve as supernumerary district attorney leading the investigation,” Marshall said. “Ellen Brooks has a long and distinguished legal background.”

Brooks served 35 years in the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office where she was District Attorney from 1993 to 2014.

“Ellen is an experienced prosecutor handling a variety of matters throughout her career and I am confident she will ensure that all the facts are pursued in this investigation,“ Marshall said.

“After I took the oath of office, I pledged to the people of Alabama that my first priority as Attorney General would be to determine if my recusal from a possible investigation was necessary,” Marshall added. “ Over the following 48 hours, I met with my special prosecutions staff, made the decision to personally recuse, and I appointed Ellen Brooks to lead the investigation. I believe this course of action fulfills my commitment to the people that this matter be handled thoroughly and fairly.”

Bentley has been accused of having a sexual affiar with former aide Rebekah Caldwell Mason, which he has denied, and of misusing state funds to cover up the investigation.