By Joseph M. Morgan

joseph@southerntorch.com

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— The Steering Committee of the Alabama Republican Party passed a resolution earlier this week formally asking Rep. Mike Hubbard to step down as Speaker of the Alabama House.

“The Alabama Republican Party strongly believes the needs of our state must be the first priority of our elected officials,” Alabama Republican Party Chairman Terry Lathan said. “The GOP controlled legislature needs full time focused attention on the people’s business. The distractions of Representative Hubbard’s legal situation will make it extremely difficult for him to meet the demands of his role as Alabama Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“At this time, we recognize that Representative Hubbard remains innocent on the charges brought against him. We wish only the best for him and his family. We reached out to Representative Hubbard numerous times to meet with a small group of GOP leaders to discuss our concerns, to no avail. As a servant of the people, we urge Representative Hubbard to put the larger interest of Alabama first.”

A grand jury indicted Hubbard in October 2014, charging him with 23 felony ethics counts of using his office as speaker and former position as chairman of the Alabama Republican Party for personal gain. Hubbard has pleaded not guilty and stands to go to trial to face the charges on March 28, 2016 in Lee County.

Hubbard released the following statement in response to ALGOP’s request to step down:

“With several motions to dismiss yet to be ruled upon, and discussions of a continuance taking place in court just last week, Lathan’s request is both ill-advised and premature, but this effort on her part is about something else entirely,” Hubbard said. “During last year’s budget crisis, Lathan was pushing for a shutdown of state government, and when the Legislature did the responsible thing and funded essential taxpayer services, she and a small group of her followers became angry.  Her request is simply a symptom of lingering resentment against the leadership. The fact that Lathan’s resolution was approved in a hastily called Sunday night telephone call with less than half the Steering Committee voting in favor shows she was desperate and lacked widespread support.”