Gov. Ivey’s office says she’s “healthy,” doesn’t dispute APR report

By Josh Moon
Alabama Political Reporter

While Gov. Kay Ivey’s office declined to confirm on Thursday that she had been admitted to a Colorado hospital for “stroke-like” issues in April 2015, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency all but did.

On Wednesday, APR reported that numerous sources said Ivey spent four days in a Colorado hospital when she became ill during an Aerospace States Association convention. Ivey, then Lieutenant Governor, was the chairperson for the ASA that year and spoke during its annual meeting on April 17.

On Thursday, a spokesperson for ALEA confirmed that Thomas “Drew” Brooks, one of the troopers who was part of Ivey’s security detail, filed for out-of-state travel reimbursement for the dates of April 15, 2015, through April 20, 2015.

The conference ended on April 17.

Several sources familiar with the incident told APR that Ivey was taken to the hospital in Colorado following a series of “mini-strokes” that left her disoriented and unable speak coherently for a brief period.

Following the trip, those sources said, Brooks was warned not to report Ivey’s health issues to anyone, including his superiors. However, because it would have been a violation of protocol, Brooks ignored the directive and reported the incident to explain the unexpected length of his trip.

On Thursday, sources told APR that Brooks was punished for following the rules and disobeying the directive, allegedly given by Ivey’s Chief of Staff, Steve Pelham. Brooks was removed from the security detail team and reassigned to the driver’s license office in Troy, the sources said.

Ivey’s spokeswoman, Eileen Jones, told al.com on Thursday that the Governor is “energized and healthy” and downplayed allegations that she’s in poor health – allegations which APR noted came from numerous sources close to Ivey, including legislators.