SC Governor reappears...after going to Argentina?

[JonoBN41]

The law is the law.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by JonoBN41

The law is the law.

That cut and dry, eh?

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by JonoBN41

The law is the law.

Cool - we'll send you all those post-hoc speeding tickets, too.

There are MAJOR issues with enforceability etc.

[PeppyGPhiB]

I feel really bad for his wife. She's probably humiliated beyond belief. He said she's known for five months, but maybe she didn't tell him that...maybe she just got fed up with the media attention/embarrassment and told him once he returned. There are lots of women who don't tell their husbands they know about an affair, you know, and many do not divorce their husbands after an affair. If he did know she knew, they might have been going to counseling or trying to work on the marriage. I imagine she was probably devastated when she realized deep down that she did know where he had gone on Father's Day weekend, then to top it all off, the media came knocking on her door. Do you really expect her to "out" him on TV for all the world, and their kids, to see? To do so would likely mean an abrupt end to their marriage, and life as they know it, and maybe she just wasn't ready to make that decision so suddenly.

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

I feel really bad for his wife....I imagine she was probably devastated when she realized deep down that she did know where he had gone on Father's Day weekend, then to top it all off, the media came knocking on her door. Do you really expect her to "out" him on TV for all the world, and their kids, to see?

Jenny Sanford has released this statement. It sounds like she's got a good head on her shoulders (I can't believe I'm saying that since I'm rarely a fan of giving cheaters a second chance). This part of her statement really stood out to me:

"When I found out about my husband's infidelity I worked immediately to first seek reconciliation through forgiveness, and then to work diligently to repair our marriage. We reached a point where I felt it was important to look my sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect, and my basic sense of right and wrong. I therefore asked my husband to leave two weeks ago. This trial separation was agreed to with the goal of ultimately strengthening our marriage. During this short separation it was agreed that Mark would not contact us. I kept this separation quiet out of respect of his public office and reputation, and in hopes of keeping our children from just this type of public exposure. Because of this separation, I did not know where he was in the past week."


Like PeppyGPhiB, I feel bad for Jenny and her sons.

[sdeason1]

Originally Posted by JonoBN41

The law is the law.

in which country or both? his political career would seem shot. is he human of course he is. he did not think he would get caught? what a dummy!
does anyone know what evil lurks in the hearts on the male species. say goodby gov and your life as an important person.

[DaemonSeid]

I think one of my questions is getting answered....whose money he spent to go and this looks like this was for last year's trip:


COLUMBIA, S.C. — One day after admitting an affair, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford reunited with his wife and sons and announced he will reimburse the state for a trip he took last year in which he met his Argentinean mistress.

Sanford said he "made a mistake" in seeing the woman last June during a trade mission to Brazil and Argentina. State records indicate he spent more than $8,000 in airfare, lodging and meals. The governor's spokesman, Joel Sawyer, said Thursday that Sanford will pay back the money spent in Argentina. Sawyer had said earlier that no state resources were used.

Republican state Sen. Jake Knotts called for an investigation. "That's like a bank robber getting caught and wanting to return the money," Knotts said. "He should strongly consider resigning."

Sanford resigned Wednesday as chairman of the Republican Governors Association but said he'd "let the chips fall where they may" otherwise. He spent Thursday at his family's beach house near Charleston after spending Father's Day weekend in Buenos Aires.

Knotts said the use of taxpayer money was too much to accept from a onetime presidential contender who made his name as a staunch fiscal conservative.

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[UGAalum94]

It's hard for me to see why he shouldn't resign.

It's pretty clear he self-destructed; if members of your own party want you out and you've clearly screwed up. . . .

I understand self-interested behavior, but he's not just undermining his own success at this point.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

It's hard for me to see why he shouldn't resign.

It's pretty clear he self-destructed; if members of your own party want you out and you've clearly screwed up. . . .

I understand self-interested behavior, but he's not just undermining his own success at this point.

The state funding the boom-boom-room trip was the turning point for me. It's just so weird.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

The state funding the boom-boom-room trip was the turning point for me. It's just so weird.

Me too - at that point, it goes from "embarrasing personal story" to a major issue with his governmental responsibilities.

[sdeason1]

whether legal in either country or not, he is in a long line of political figures who have strayed and I am sure will not be the last. He should do the manly thing and step down as his political star has dimmed greatly. who can trust him now? should he pay the money back he use, dar, that is a given! it was not for the people of his state but for his lustful ways. just say good by and fade into the sunset. wonder if there could be a club started where he could join or at least a program he could enroll in?

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

The state funding the boom-boom-room trip was the turning point for me. It's just so weird.

Originally Posted by KSigkid

Me too - at that point, it goes from "embarrasing personal story" to a major issue with his governmental responsibilities.

Weirdly, despite not completely considering his going missing for a few days OR his having an affair as necessarily being resignation worthy on their own, the combo of those two alone, even without the previous state funded trip, are enough to make me say that he should be done. The flakiness reflects on his competence.

(A guy under work related stress can completely detach himself from work for a few days, in my opinion. If your extra-martial affair hits the public, you could try to serve out your term if your ability to govern wasn't otherwise affected. But you can't just flake out, leave town, and go see your mistress for a few days to break up. Nope.)

The other trip on the taxpayers' dime just formalizes it.

And, it just seems really selfish to try to hold on. Who benefits from his not resigning? Only he does, as near as I can tell.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

I think one of my questions is getting answered....whose money he spent to go and this looks like this was for last year's trip:


COLUMBIA, S.C. — One day after admitting an affair, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford reunited with his wife and sons and announced he will reimburse the state for a trip he took last year in which he met his Argentinean mistress.

Sanford said he "made a mistake" in seeing the woman last June during a trade mission to Brazil and Argentina. State records indicate he spent more than $8,000 in airfare, lodging and meals. The governor's spokesman, Joel Sawyer, said Thursday that Sanford will pay back the money spent in Argentina. Sawyer had said earlier that no state resources were used.

Republican state Sen. Jake Knotts called for an investigation. "That's like a bank robber getting caught and wanting to return the money," Knotts said. "He should strongly consider resigning."

Sanford resigned Wednesday as chairman of the Republican Governors Association but said he'd "let the chips fall where they may" otherwise. He spent Thursday at his family's beach house near Charleston after spending Father's Day weekend in Buenos Aires.

Knotts said the use of taxpayer money was too much to accept from a onetime presidential contender who made his name as a staunch fiscal conservative.

link

Now my question is answered...

Aside from the damage done to his standing as a social conservative, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s recent admission of an extramarital affair may end up tarnishing another of his political credentials — his carefully honed reputation as a tightfisted steward of taxpayer money.

A POLITICO analysis of hundreds of pages of state travel records requested to explore the circumstances of his affair found that in his 6 1/2 years as governor, Sanford traveled frequently and in a style markedly at odds with his political persona.

The records detail more than $468,000 worth of state-funded travel for Sanford and show that he routinely billed taxpayers for high-end airline seats, racking up more than $44,000 on business- and first-class tickets. He often stayed in pricey hotels that far exceeded the rates he imposed on other state employees.




Link