SC Governor Sanford Developments—July 14, 2009

***6:45 p.m. Update July 14***

Click Here to download Governor Sanford’s communications director Joel Sawyer’s emails. (Adobe Reader required)

Columbia, SC—E-mails just released by Gov. Mark Sanford’s office show that his affair with a woman from Argentina may have cost more than his political future and embarrassment. He turned down a dinner invitation from a South Carolina company that’s considering expanding its plant here. Before releasing it, along with hundreds of other emails, the governor’s staff blacked out the name of the company, its location, how much it’s considering investing in an expansion and how many jobs that might create.

When asked how the governor responds to the charge that his affair caused him not to give job creation the attention it deserves, his spokesman, Joel Sawyer, said, “The governor has talked in great detail about the mistakes he has made, and has apologized for those mistakes. He is committed to the process of building back the trust of South Carolinians.“

But South Carolina’s unemployment rate is 12.1 percent, third-highest in the country. Judging by the responses of some of the unemployed people of the state, who were at the Employment Security Commission office in Columbia Tuesday, the governor has a lot of work to do.

After hearing about the governor turning down a potential opportunity to create jobs, and his response to that, unemployed teacher Erica Myers said, “It’s not so adequate, as in he’s saying that he’s trying to build trust, but we need to see that he’s working toward helping us to get more jobs. So that’s the way we get trust.“

Unemployed law enforcement officer Daniel Wright says, “I don’t think he can rebuild trust. It’s time for him to move on.“

The dinner invitation was for June 24, so the company is probably still considering an expansion. But since the company’s name and other information was blacked out, we don’t know.

The emails also show that the governor turned down another invitation, this time to celebrate the expansion of another South Carolina business. The reason his scheduler turned down the invitation was that “his schedule has him totally jammed.“

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Phone records show South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford did not use his state-issued cell phone to return numerous calls from staff during his six-day trip to visit his mistress in Argentina. Sanford, who admitted to a yearlong affair with the woman, has said he could have contacted his office while he was out of the country starting June 18. In an interview with The Associated Press, the governor said he had “back channel” methods of being reached. He would not be more specific and his personal cell phone records are not public. Sanford’s office released nearly 600 pages of e-mail and state phone records Monday under a public records request. The files show Chief of Staff Scott English called Sanford’s state and personal cell phones 14 times between June 19 and June 22.

The Governor’s Office has also released 600 pages of email and phone records some of which were printed in The State newspaper Tuesday.  At least one SC Senate Democrat is now calling for full disclosure. Below is a release sent from Sen. John C. Land.

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For Immediate Release
July 14, 2009

SC Senate Democratic Leader Calls for Full Disclosure After Revelation That Sanford Skipped Multiple Economic Development Meetings to Visit Mistress in Argentina.

Columbia, SC – South Carolina Senate Democratic Leader John C. Land, III (D-Manning) issued the following statement today in response to the revelations that Governor Mark Sanford turned down multiple invitations to attend meetings with companies looking to create jobs in South Carolina.

Sanford declined to attend the meetings so he could visit his mistress in Argentina.

Governor Mark Sanford’s economic development efforts have been generally criticized, and he has been responsible for a jobless rate of over 12% since he took office.

Also noteworthy is that the Governor’s office turned down these meetings because they claimed the Governor’s schedule was “just absolutely jammed this summer.” In fact, he had planned to spend ten days in Argentina. Moreover, since returning to South Carolina and pledging to focus on his job, his public schedule has been largely blank.

“When Mark Sanford ran off to Argentina, he missed two critical job creation meetings. Mark Sanford placed a higher value on his personal pleasure than bringing jobs to a state with a 12% jobless rate.”

“We need to investigate further and learn what other opportunities have been missed through the Governor’s selfishness.”

“When you’ve dragged your state into the one of the nation’s highest jobless rates, you owe it to the people who elected you to spend night and day chasing down any company that wants to create jobs.”

“Governor Sanford’s economic development philosophy has always been hands-off. Now he owes it to us all, critics and supporters alike, to come clean about other missed opportunities to create jobs. Only then can we begin the long and slow process of clawing back from the one of the nation’s worst jobless rates.”

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From The State Newspaper

July 14, 2009
Sanford’s Office Couldn’t Locate Missing Governor

The governor allowed some economic development initiatives to take a back seat during his secret trip. Sanford was invited to — but turned down — a dinner invitation June 24 with representatives from a company looking to expand its S.C. operation, according to e-mail records. The company’s name was redacted. Sanford also declined a June 25 celebration event for a plant expansion by a S.C. business because his schedule was “just absolutely jammed this summer,” wrote a staffer in an e-mail.

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***11:45 p.m. Update July 9***

Columbia, SC—A small but vocal and adamant group of protesters rallied at the Statehouse, Thursday night, calling for Gov. Mark Sanford to resign or for state lawmakers to impeach him.

“You crossed the line! Now resign!“ they chanted, while holding posters with slogans like “Sanford Abandoned SC” and “Don’t quote the Bible if you won’t live by it!“

There were fewer than 50 protesters and almost that many members of the media covering them, but Phil Noble, president of South Carolina New Democrats, says the protest was a matter of principle.

“Doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or Republican, if you’re a president or governor or dog catcher. When you violate that integrity and those bonds that make a democracy work, you should resign,“ he said.

A recent Survey USA poll found that 60 percent of South Carolinians think Gov. Sanford should resign. However, his spokesman has made it clear that Sanford has no plans to step down, saying the governor will continue to work to rebuild the trust of the people of the state.

University of South Carolina political scientist Robert Oldendick says, “I think he’s really weathered the worst of it.“ After Sanford gave an interview to the Associated Press last week in which he admitted to more meetings with his mistress and with “crossing lines” with other women, more and more state lawmakers were calling for the governor to resign.

But then the State Law Enforcement Division released its findings into whether the governor misused any state money to meet his mistress. “We have found no improper use of public funds,“ SLED Chief Reggie Lloyd announced July 2. Oldendick says whether there was an illegal activity was the key question for a lot of people.

“And when the SLED investigation really determined that there was no misuse of public funds, no other illegal activity on his part then, given his determination and his inclination from the beginning to want to stay on and press his agenda, that was the key point, I think, in this whole story,“ he says.

So with Sanford refusing to resign, that leaves impeachment as the only way his opponents can get him out of office. But state lawmakers say impeachment is extremely unlikely. Calling a special session to deal with it would cost money the state doesn’t have, and it’s unlikely two-thirds of the House would vote to impeach Sanford and then two-thirds of the Senate would vote to convict. And if they wait until they go back into regular session in January, the story will be six months old and lawmakers will be focused on issues like unemployment and the budget, Oldendick says.

He says, “I really think that any impeachment proceedings are very, very unlikely. Which then puts it back to, well, resign. He’s resisted the pressure from within his own party. I don’t think that, unless, again, some new revelation comes out, that any kind of public pressure is going to change his mind.“

Even Phil Noble said before the rally, “He’s not going to resign and clearly he’s not going to be impeached. But that’s really not the issue. The issue is that principle, you know, that we in a democracy say, ‘You can lie to us. That’s okay. You can repeatedly lie to us. That’s okay. We don’t care.‘ Then you’ve done something fundamentally damaging to democratic institutions.“

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***1:40 a.m. Update July 7***

SC GOP Censures Governor Mark Sanford Over Absence, Affair

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Fellow Republicans have censured South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford for leaving the state last month on a secret trip to Argentina to meet his mistress.

The state GOP met for more than three hours by phone Monday before 22 members of the executive committee voted on a formal reprimand of Sanford. Ten voted to ask him to resign, while nine voted to support the governor.

In a statement, Sanford says he appreciates the party’s position and will continue to work to earn back its trust.

Sanford might have survived a state probe last week into his travel, but plenty of his fellow Republicans say they are still hearing from unhappy constituents.

The governor also has continually said he will serve his remaining 18 months in office.

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***10:48 a.m. Update July 6***

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is returning to work, attending a closed briefing on port security in North Charleston.

Sanford spent the weekend in Florida, visiting with his wife and children. Jenny Sanford and their sons went to her parents’ home following Sanford’s confessions last month of an affair with a woman in Argentina.

Both Sanford and the first lady and their children returned from Florida on Sunday. The governor’s office would not comment on their living arrangements.

Sanford’s staff says he will attend the briefing with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Sen. Lindsey Graham on Project Seahawk. That’s a task force to protect the nation’s ports.

Spokesman Joel Sawyer says Sanford will not attend a meeting with reporters after the briefing.

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***10:40 a.m. Update July 3***

SC Governor Sanford Leaves Mansion, Plans Florida Trip With Family

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has left his official residence in the state capital and appears to be heading to spend the weekend with his wife and children.

Sanford left the governor’s mansion in Columbia on Friday morning in the passenger seat of a state security sedan. A day earlier, his spokesman said Sanford planned to fly to Florida accompanied by state security for the long holiday weekend.

The two-term Republican says he does not intend to resign. He and wife Jenny also hope to reconcile despite an interview during which the governor told The Associated Press that his Argentine mistress is his soul mate.

Jenny Sanford said in a statement Thursday that she may be able to forgive her husband, but true reconciliation will take time and won’t be easy.

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***12:40 a.m. Update July 3***

Governor Sanford’s Office Releases Statement On SLED Investigation

Statement from Governor Mark Sanford’s office, from his spokesman, Joel Sawyer, in regards to the SLED investigation into the Governor’s travel records:

“We’re pleased that SLED has concluded its review, which confirms what we’ve said from day one…no public money was used in relation to the governor’s admitted marital infidelity. This issue is behind us, once and for all.

Those records are attached, with personal identifying information and information unrelated to this travel redacted.“

To view the public records, click here. (Adobe Reader required)
To view the private records, click here. (Adobe Reader required)

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***5:50 p.m. Update July 2***

‘Aiken Standard’ Calls For Resignation Of Governor Mark Sanford

Aiken, SC—You can count the ‘Aiken Standard’ among the South Carolina newspapers calling for Governor Mark Sanford to resign.

In an editorial, published Thursday, the newspaper says Governor Sanford should step down so that the state of South Carolina can get on with its business, and Sanford can fix his personal life.

The editorial also says that Sanford’s resignation will prevent the state from becoming a national joke.

You can read the entire editorial by clicking here.

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***4:10 p.m. Update July 2***

SC 1st Lady Says She’s Angry, May Forgive Husband

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina’s first lady says Gov. Mark Sanford’s actions are “inexcusable” but she is willing to forgive him.

Jenny Sanford on Thursday made her first public statement since her husband revealed in Associated Press interviews that he believes his Argentine mistress is his soul mate but he is trying to fall back in love with his wife.

In her statement, Jenny Sanford says it is up to her husband to save their 20-year marriage. She says she is still angry with him and he will deal with the consequences of his actions for a long while.

The first lady says Mark Sanford must regain the trust of his family and the people of South Carolina, but she makes no guarantee he will be able to do it.

The governor plans to leave Friday morning to spend the holiday weekend with his wife and four sons in Florida.

To view Jenny Sanford’s statement, click here.

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***3:00 p.m. Update July 2***

SC Attorney General: Governor Sanford Should Publicly Release Travel Docs

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina’s top prosecutor is calling on Gov. Mark Sanford to publicly release travel records tied to his affair with an Argentine woman.

State Attorney General Henry McMaster said Thursday that full disclosure of the information is important and that Sanford should keep his word to release the records.

Sanford’s office had promised the documents to The Associated Press, but changed its mind after the State Law Enforcement Division launched an investigation into the governor’s travel.

The documents were made available to investigators, and results of that probe were to be released Thursday afternoon.

Sanford has hunkered down but said he won’t resign as top state Republicans and several newspapers call for him to quit.

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***2:55 p.m. Update July 2***

SLED: SC Governor Sanford Didn’t Break Law To Visit Mistress

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina’s top cop says Gov. Mark Sanford did not improperly use state funds for visits with his Argentine mistress.

State Law Enforcement Division Chief Reggie Lloyd said Thursday that Sanford did not break any laws. The governor’s spokesman says he does not intend to resign.

South Carolina’s attorney general asked police to investigate the governor’s travel after Sanford revealed to The Associated Press he had spent time with Maria Belen Chapur more often than previously disclosed.

Sanford has given two personal checks totaling $3,300 to the state treasurer as reimbursement for part of a taxpayer-funded trip to South America last year. He says the money covered lodging, meals and airfare to Buenos Aires, where he saw Chapur.

Top South Carolina Republicans have called for Sanford to step down.

To view the entire press conference, click here.

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***2:50 p.m. Update July 2***

SC Governor Sanford Plans To Spend Weekend In Florida With Family

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A spokesman says South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford will head to Florida to spend the holiday weekend with his family.

Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said the governor will leave Friday morning. He did not say where the governor will stay or how long he will be out of town. Sanford’s in-laws live in Florida.

Sawyer says Sanford is concentrating on repairing the damage he has done to his marriage and building back the trust of the people of South Carolina.

In a statement, Sanford also reiterated that he will not resign or leave the governor’s office temporarily.

In an interview with The Associated Press this week, Sanford said a woman he visited last month in Argentina is his soul mate, but he is trying to fall back in love with his wife.

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SLED To Announce Results Of Review Of Governor Sanford’s Travel Records

Columbia, SC—We are told that the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) will hold a press conference at 2:00 p.m. in Columbia, SC, when Director Reggie Lloyd will announce the results of SLED’s review of Governor Mark Sanford’s travel records.

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SC Governor Sanford…What Is Love?

In SC governor’s religious sphere, love isn’t something you feel, it’s something you do

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Spiritual advisers who have worked with Gov. Mark Sanford have recommended that he work to improve his marriage.

Sanford last week confessed a relationship with a woman in Argentina he met more than eight years ago. He has resisted calls to resign as the fallout from the affair grew, particularly after a long interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. He says he’s been in a struggle between his heart and his value system.

Sanford said he has a love for his wife, their sons and his farm.

Warren Culbertson has been counseling the Sanfords since Jenny Sanford discovered the affair in January. Culbertson says if the governor works hard, the couple can find greater love.

The Rev. Gary Chapman, who wrote “The Five Love Languages,“ agrees. Chapman says a faded love can be reborn, with work and time.

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SC Congressman Calls For Governor Sanford To Quit

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett is the first South Carolina congressman to ask Gov. Mark Sanford to resign.

He says people have lost confidence in him after his extramarital affair was revealed.

The Republican told The Associated Press he called the governor Wednesday and told him it would be best for him to quit.

Barrett says Sanford can no longer be the effective leader the state needs as South Carolina’s unemployment rate tops 12 percent.

Barrett joins several fellow Republicans who have asked for the governor’s resignation after Sanford revealed new details this week in an interview with the AP about his affair with an Argentine woman.

Barrett is running for governor next year. Sanford can’t run again because of term limits.

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