John Harold Merrill is an American politician who serves as the Secretary of State for Alabama. He was a representative in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2010 to 2014 before running for secretary of state. The Republican won re-election in November 2018 and his term will end in January 2023.
Merrill attended the University of Alabama, where he served as president of the Student Government Association during the 1986-87 school year. After graduation, he completed two internships with Congress and later served in community relations and business development roles.
This article will look at John Merrill’s wife and the impact of Merrill’s extramarital scandal.
Contents
- 1 John Merrill and his wife Cindy Benford share two children
- 2 Merrill initially denied having an extramarital affair, but acknowledged it after the publication of an explicit phone call he made with his ex-lover.
- 3 John was accused of having a sexual encounter with a friend’s wife in September 2010.
- 4 John Merrill announced that he will not run for public office after his term as Secretary of State ends
John Merrill and Cindy Benford were married on May 11, 1985 at Calvary Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The couple have two children, Brooks and Grace.
Cindy is an educator and former principal of Westwood Elementary School in Coker, Alabama.
Merrill is quite secretive about his personal life. Despite having an active Instagram account, John rarely shares family photos of himself.
Merrill initially denied having an extramarital affair, but acknowledged it after the publication of an explicit phone call he made with his ex-lover.
After rumors began to circulate alleging that John Merrill had been having an extramarital affair, the politician moved quickly to deny the claim. He told a local radio station that the rumors were perpetuated by political rivals or people seeking to hurt his family. Merrill vehemently denied the matter and accused the woman in question, Cesaire McPherson, of “stalking” and “harassing” him. He said:
“Starting in 2019, this woman started texting me and communicating with me through social media. As we exchanged text messages and even visited the office, it was clear that she had other intentions that bordered on obsession. I alerted my wife, Cindy, to this and we both agreed to cut off all communication with her.”
John Merrill’s tone changed after McPherson gave AL.com a 17-minute phone call between her and John that detailed “sexual acts performed during dozens of romantic encounters.” During the call, John said that he had tried in vain to stay away from McPherson. “I can’t get away from you, so I have to help to be able to do that…help comes from the Lord,” John said.
“You already went against your marriage,” McPherson responded. According to Alabama Local News, the affair lasted from November 2017 to November 2020. After the publication published the phone call, John admitted to having the affair:
“It is clear that I had an inappropriate relationship with her, and it is not something I am proud of. I am very disappointed in myself. I am also disappointed that I allowed my family to be ashamed of this action.”
John was accused of having a sexual encounter with a friend’s wife in September 2010.
It is not the first time that John has been involved in an extramarital scandal. In February 2015, John’s name appeared during a plea in a divorce case involving Merrill’s friend. The friend’s wife testified that she had had a sexual encounter with the politician in September 2010. The woman herself stated that Merrill objected to the sexual relations, but performed oral sex on her. talking to Local Alabama NewsMerrill denied part of the allegations:
“She kissed me, I kissed her back. Then she started unbuttoning my shirt, and after that, she started getting more aggressive, and actually did a few other things to try and get me to engage in some physical activity with her, which I refused, stating that I wasn’t going to. Do that. .
John Merrill announced that he will not run for public office after his term as Secretary of State ends
It’s no secret that John Merrill harbored ambitions for higher office after his term as Secretary of State expired. Term limits prevented him from running for another term as secretary, but he was promoted to replace retired Sen. Richard Shelby. A gubernatorial shot was also on the cards. However, he told her Local Alabama News who will not compete for a popular election position in 2022:
“Obviously I will not be running for the United States Senate or seeking any other elected office in 2022, because I think it is important for me to make sure that I become the man that I have been before and that I am working towards. put myself in the position of being the leader that I have been before, as a husband, father, friend and elected official.”
It is ironic that a politician who condemned the ‘moral’ decline of the country has interrupted his political career for his immorality. At the time of his affair with McPherson, John told him Local Alabama News that the ‘fundamental principles that we have developed as a nation no longer exist’. He, too, lamented the absence of “morally uplifting” shows:
“There are no more TV shows like Gunsmoke or Bonanza or The Virginian’ or ‘I Love Lucy’ or ‘Andy Griffith.’ I said that people are too interested in homosexual activities. They are too interested in trading TV shows and shows that are not morally uplifting. That’s the problem.”
“I don’t want to say anything other than here is proof that John Merrill is a liar,” Cesaire McPherson said in a brief statement to Local Alabama News. “Here is the real John Merrill.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn