“I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.”
Very early in the 2022 campaign cycle for the U.S. Senate here in Alabama, I conducted my very first interview with John Merrill.
My initial impression of Merrill was that he was a very talented politician — almost too talented in his confident charm, swaggering physicality, and uncanny ability to weave facts and figures with folksy stories to answer any question we asked — and I told him as much.
“John, you’re really good at this,” I said to him at the close of the interview. “So good that I suspect you’re up to something. I hope it’s something good.”
“Yeah, you silver-tongued devil!” my co-host Jack Campbell interjected with a wink and a smile.
It is an eternal irony that men’s best qualities can also lead to their downfall. So it was with Merrill. Merrill’s confident charm and way with words didn’t just open up opportunities for political power – they also opened opportunities to certain temptations that so often walk hand-in-hand with the pursuit of power.
A few months after our interview, Merrill was caught in a massive public lie and sex scandal regarding an extramarital affair.
After Merrill publicly denied any affair, his mistress, seemingly bitter and scorned at his attempts to end their dalliance, provided a recording of a conversation between herself and Merrill to the media. Unfortunately for all who listened, the conversation was chock-full of salacious, cringeworthy details of their sexual relationship.
The silver-tongued devil had, indeed, been up to something.
When caught, Merrill did not resign from his position as Alabama’s secretary of state, but he did pull his name from consideration for any political office in that election cycle.
I made fun of the affair on the radio airwaves for a day (the jokes almost wrote themselves), then moved on to the next news cycle. It wasn’t personally scandalizing to me or all that surprising that Merrill was caught with his hand in the cookie jar, just another sordid political story as old as time.
Having been driven from the public stage in public shame, I soon forgot about Merrill until a personal tragedy unexpectedly arrived on my doorstep.
The man who had jovially called Merrill “a silver-tongued devil” – my co-host Jack Campbell (who was undoubtedly a bit of a silver-tongued devil himself) – soon lost use of his own silver tongue after suffering a major stroke.
I remember visiting Jack in rehab. I hadn’t been allowed into the hospital because of COVID protocols. He was on the verge of despair, a shell of himself. It was heartbreaking to see a man known for his wit and one-liners lose command of his voice. As he tried to communicate with me and failed, Jack would wilt in frustration and disappointment. Even more heartbreaking was how few people came to see Jack when he was sick.
Until then, I had known Jack as someone who couldn’t go out to dinner without being interrupted by an old friend, colleague, or political adversary. He was a man who seemed to know the whole town and everyone in it. Yet, at his lowest and loneliest moment in life, Jack could barely count on one hand those who had stood by his side in his time of need.
Eventually, Jack told me who had come to see him. Much to my surprise, a certain long-forgotten name returned: John Merrill.
I’ll never forget how much Merrill’s gesture meant to Jack. Never underestimate the magnitude of a small act of kindness, folks.
I do not tell this story to disprove Secretary of State Wes Allen’s recent public statements regarding Merrill’s “obscene sodomy scandals and repeated lies,” but I am here to speak what I know: that when my friend was sick, Merrill visited him.
And for that, I will always be thankful.
I simply tell this story to remind the harsh, unforgiving political world that those who infamously fall from public grace may still possess some private grace.
To be clear: this is not to say my heart is with Merrill running for political office again. It isn’t.
In fact, my unsolicited advice to him, as it is for almost everyone who seeks political power, is to use his many talents doing something – anything – else.
Does one graceful, private, good deed necessarily forgive an ugly, public one?
No.
Should this story necessarily restore your trust in Merrill to hold political office again?
No.
Are Merrill’s past public failings fair game in a high-stakes, state-wide political campaign?
Yes, of course. Don’t be naive.
Whether or not Merrill is truly repentant, whether he has discovered enough habitual grace to prevent him from falling for the same temptations all over again, is ultimately for God to judge.
In the meantime, depending on what Merrill decides to do next, Alabamians may have to pass their own lesser judgment on whether they will trust Merrill with political power again.
And only God knows how forgiving the people of Alabama will be in 2026.
Joey Clark is a native Alabamian and is currently the host of the radio program News and Views on News Talk 93.1 FM WACV out of Montgomery, AL, M-F 12 p.m. - 3 p.m. His column appears every Tuesday in 1819 News. To contact Joey for media or speaking appearances, as well as any feedback, please email [email protected]. Follow him on X @TheJoeyClark or watch the radio show livestream.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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