Former Anti-Abortion Leader and Aide to Alabama Lt. Gov. Arrested on Child Sex Abuse Charges

Montgomery County Sheriff's Office

As the chair of Alliance for a Pro-Life Alabama in 2018, Cole Wagner helped muscle into the Alabama Constitution a new amendment declaring the state recognized “the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children.” On Friday, the Alabama Political Reporter broke the news that Wagner had been arrested for the sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12. 

A copy of the indictment was not immediately available, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department did not respond to inquiries about Wagner’s arrest.

Wagner told the Montgomery Advertiser in 2018 that passing Amendment 2 would send the “powerful message” that Alabama voters “are willing to stand in defense of our citizens who can’t yet defend themselves.” Amendment 2 did pass — in a big win for the anti-abortion movement — setting the stage for Alabama’s total ban on abortion, which went into effect when Roe v. Wade was overturned last year.

After that victory, Wagner snagged a plum job in Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth’s office. For three and half years, according to Wagner’s LinkedIn, he was employed as Ainsworth’s Senate liaison working to advance Ainsworth’s agenda and support his role as president of the Senate. During his time with Ainsworth’s office, Wagner attended events with the lieutenant governor, who called Wagner “a whiz-kid” and a “bright, young guy.” 

On Twitter, Ainsworth — who was also a prominent supporter of Amendment 2 and opponent of abortion rights — has shared photos of himself with Wagner. He’s also used Twitter to wish Wagner happy birthday: “Happy 30 birthday @MDeColeW . For those of you that don’t know this is his face when he loses in sports. Fortunately he is better at policy and solving problems than winning at sports.” (Ainsworth’s tweet was deleted shortly after this story published, but an archived copy remains available online.)

On his own since-deactivated Twitter account, Cole has joked about Joe Biden’s “inappropriate hugs.”

Ainsworth’s office did not respond to multiple inquiries about Wanger’s tenure working with the lieutenant governor, including a question about whether his office was taking steps to investigate whether Wagner may have engaged in criminal behavior while working for the lieutenant governor.

Wagner left the lieutenant governor’s office in February for the Alabama Department of Education, where according to his LinkedIn profile, he worked in government relations. The ALSDE called the allegations against Wagner “serious, tragic and shocking” in a statement, and said last week that he had been terminated from his job “effective immediately.” 

According to the Alabama Political Reporter, Wagner was released last week after posting $60,000 bail. He faces up to 20 years in prison.