“We’ve been clear, John Merrill’s personal life is just that – personal. But what is not personal is access to state resources like a state vehicle, state cell phone and any other taxpayer funded benefits of being Alabama’s Secretary of State,” Alabama Democratic Party Executive Director Wade Perry said in a statement. Perry says the Alabama Democratic Party is calling on Attorney General Steve Marshall and other law enforcement officials to open an investigation. Merrill declined to comment. A spokesman for Marshall also declined to comment. In 2017, former Gov. Robert Bentley resigned following an impeachment push amid the fallout of his relationship with an aide. But the impeachment effort centered on allegations that Bentley used his office to advance and then cover up the relationship.