Sanford: I "Crossed Lines" With Women

S.C. Gov. Admits Inappropriate Behavior, But Not Sex, with Other Women, Says He's Trying to Fall Back in Love with Wife

(AP)  South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said Tuesday that he "crossed lines" with a handful of women other than his mistress - but never had sex with them.

The governor said he "never crossed the ultimate line" with anyone but Maria Belen Chapur, the Argentine at the center of a scandal that has derailed his once-promising political career.

"This was a whole lot more than a simple affair, this was a love story," Sanford said. "A forbidden one, a tragic one, but a love story at the end of the day."

During an emotional interview at his Statehouse office with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Sanford said Chapur is his soul mate but he's trying to fall back in love with his wife.

"And so if you end up 50 years here on Earth and you know, alright, maybe I get another 30 and if you come into connection with a soul that touches yours in a way that no one's ever has, even if it's a place you can't go, this notion of knowing that you know, for me, became very important."

He said that during the encounters with other women he "let his guard down" with some physical contact but "didn't cross the sex line." He wouldn't go into detail.

Sanford, 49, said the casual encounters happened outside the U.S. while he was married but before he met Chapur, on trips to "blow off steam" with male friends.

Sanford also admitted he saw Chapur more times than previously disclosed, including what was to be a farewell meeting in New York chaperoned by a spiritual adviser soon after his wife found out about the affair.

After that disclosure, South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster said Tuesday he has asked the State Law Enforcement Division to review all of Sanford's travel records to see if any laws have been broken.

Sanford described five meetings with Chapur over the past year, including two romantic, multi-night stays with her in New York before they met there again intending to break up.

He said he saw her two other times, including their first meeting in 2001 at an open-air dance spot in Uruguay.

"There was some kind of connection from the very beginning," he told The Associated Press, though he said neither that meeting nor a 2004 coffee date in New York during the Republican National Convention were romantic. Sanford had been considered a potential 2012 presidential contender before the scandal broke last week.

His interview was the first disclosure of any liaisons with Chapur in the United States and contradicted a public confession last week during which he admitted to a total of five encounters over their eight-year relationship.

He previously announced he would reimburse the state for money spent during a government trip to Brazil and Argentina in June 2008 when he saw Chapur. It was then, he said, that their relationship became physical, and the e-mails they'd exchanged for years reflected their anguish over what they had done.

"Now I am frightened," he told the AP, describing his state of mind at the time. "It was before safe. But now it's not safe. We gotta put the genie back in the bottle."

He insists no public money was used for any other meetings with her.

He saw Chapur again in mid-June of this year, visiting Argentina without telling his staff he was going to be out of the country. He instead led them to believe he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail.

By the time he returned to a puzzled public, staff and family, his public image and emotional state had unraveled. He admitted the affair at a rambling press conference.

Now Sanford is attempting to salvage his personal and professional lives. He and wife Jenny, parents of four sons, say they are trying to reconcile their 20-year marriage but have not been sharing the same house for several weeks. Jenny Sanford found out about the relationship in January when she discovered a letter the governor had written to his mistress.

She did not immediately return a message seeking comment Tuesday, but she told The Associated Press in an interview Friday that her husband had repeatedly sought permission to visit Chapur.

"I said absolutely not. It's one thing to forgive adultery; it's another thing to condone it," she said.

The governor said he met Chapur in Punta Del Este, Uruguay, in 2001 after his final term in Congress and before his first term as governor. He said the two struck up an e-mail correspondence after meeting on a dance floor - a chance encounter during which he counseled her into the night about her failing marriage.

For the next seven-plus years, Sanford said, the two exchanged messages, sometimes sporadically.

They met in New York two more times in 2008: two nights in Manhattan in September and three nights in the Hamptons in November. Each time, Sanford claims he flew coach, paid for it himself, paid for the hotels in cash and told his staff he was reachable by cell phone.

"At that point I was very careful, everything was paid for in cash," Sanford said. "And you won't find a credit card record."

In early 2009, after Jenny Sanford discovered the affair, the couple went into counseling. She has told The Associated Press that he asked her several times to visit the mistress and she refused.

But the governor claims he wanted to end the affair in person and, with his wife's permission, went to New York with a "trusted spiritual adviser" serving as chaperone. The three went to church and dinner together and parted ways the same night.

But he visited Chapur again in Argentina on June 18, the trip that brought the whole affair to light.

Sanford told AP that has some life questions to ponder: "If I personally end up with some life questions that I need to get answered in my own way so that when I meet my maker and when I'm in that last dying breath, and I weigh the costs and say, to me and everybody's got their own value system, but to me, even if it's a place I could never go, if I wanted to know that I knew that I knew, if that's more important to me than running for president, that's my prerogative as a human being."

[suzyswim]

clearly this guy has no judgment, but frankly to claim that he is obligated to go to europe cuz his kids worked toward it -- and to say that they earned money running a lemonade stand -- well, the proceeds of that will last about 1/4 of a day for a family of 6 in london -- and in monaco (where he's supposedly headed), even less.
it is clear that the people of south carolina are not getting any value whatsoever for their money -- he deserves a salary of about $10/week for the past 5 weeks or so

[Benton09]

Sanford, just save your 'love story' for the 'Guiding Light' and get your A** out of office! I hope your wife takes everything your a** has! RepubiSCUM!

[parrots7]

During an emotional interview at his Statehouse office with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Sanford said Chapur is his soul mate but he's trying to fall back in love with his wife.



Especially with that DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT guidelines they'd wanted passed into law. Dumb Repugs !

[tautomer]

This clown acts as though he made some kind of "mistake". There was no mistake here, he knew what he was doing and that it was wrong and did it anyway. How do we know this? Because he tried to conceal it.

There was no "error of judgement", there was knowing intent to do wrong and cover it up. Sanford needs to go!

[sayfud-deen]

this is just another reason why we need sharia law! i don't give damn whether you agree or not. it does'nt matter. if these laws were in place, all of these guys and gals would be going to court! if guilty, they would be put to death! end of story. and i'll bet this guy would'nt be running his mouth so much about his sexcapades.let's face it, these people don't care if they get caught. nothing happens to them anyway!

[swmayhew]

Sanford is the poster boy for the spoiled brat. Brings a pig into the house - oh, mommy look - little Markie is SO clever - take a picture. Sanford is a lazy second rate elitist. His confessions clearly are meant to be enough for daddy to forgive him and he expects forgiveness. In reality, he is in a hole and just keeps digging - ever deluded that the rest of the country actually cares about his pathetic life.

Briefly - the Pubs DO get to bring up Clinton - hmmm nearly 2 decades ago... Whereas Mark is the latest in this continual stream of immoral and deluded pigs who have had power too long. Spitzer sins and loses his job - Vicks sins in exactly the same way, drags his wife to the breast beating and kept his job..... the right wing is dense but even they should see that their team is rotten to the core.

[mcintoshlou]

Recent Republican Sex Scandals

David Vitter = Prostitutes
Vito Fosselia = Mistress
John Ensign = Mistress
Larry Craig = Gays
Mark Sanford = Mistress
Mark Foley = Boys

Punishment = None, Republicans are exempt!

[swmayhew]

Perfect - enough blather from the party that gave us 'morality' - they stink

[tautomer]

Don't forget Obama and Larry Sinclair! You didn't mention him. Nor did you mention the gay brothel in Barney Frank's apartment! Just oversights, I'm sure.

[toldyouso29]

"His interview was the first disclosure of any liaisons with Chapur in the United States and contradicted a public confession last week during which he admitted to a total of five encounters over their eight-year relationship."

Which means he has probably been with his mistress at least 15 times but only feels a need to cop to the 5 to 8 times that he thinks the press and the public might find out about. As for crossing the line--does he mean with touching, kissing,and touching but no intercourse? does he like Bill Clinton, think oral sex is not sex?

And what about Jenny? Just what is she trying to salvage in knowing she is not and will never be her husband's soul mate and that he is making do with her--to honor a commitment and salvage his career--but that his heart is with and has always been with either his soul mate or trying to discover his mate in other women all of these years?

Think that makes Jenny sort of "chopped liver" doesn't it?

[rushlimpdrug]

The crazy thing is they wanted him to become
President of the United States of America because
he is a real family man with values.

And the media would have ignored all of this if it
wasn't for his wild and crazy "road trip" to go
f_ck another woman on FATHER'S DAY.
Imagine your father not being around on that day
to go F_CK some wh_re while mom stays home.

Wow!

[mjhs1967]

Geeze, he must have been a beautiful baby!!! Lying & cheating sicko :(

[credibility2]

...power and the appendage...same old, same old...as old as history...an equal opportunity career destroyer...

[mcintoshlou]

JUST ONE MORE LYING REPUBLI'CON'

HIM AND PALIN SHOULD GET TOGETHER,

EVANGELICAL BROOD MARES

FOR FASCISM

[mrzerato]

Sanford you really need to stop talking. You keep putting your foot in your mouth the more you explain your indiscretions. You will soon run out of biblical stories to relate to the public, if this keeps up.

If you are trying to get back with your family, it would be good to stop talking. I am sure she doesn't want the dirty laundry aired any more.

[South-of-Heaven]

Man, this is turning out to be a REPIG Slaughter...

[wdh3007]

I agree Sanford needs to step down before he says any more stupid comments. What an idiot didn't this guy learn anything from Spitzer he played now he has to pay for his own foolish mistakes and live with the consequences.

[Questionews]

Does anyone have a clue WHY Sanford continues to 'run off at the mouth'
over his sex life?! Isn't he in ENOUGH trouble, already?!

I don't see how CONTINUING to talk about it, is putting an end to it and moving on!

by stn_sage June 30, 2009 3:14 PM PDT


He's doing everything he can to distance himself from the Craig type Republicans. "I'm a man that likes women dang it. A lot of women, but they're women none the less!!"
I guess he will be seeing Bill Clinton in those AA meetings ............Adulterers Anonymous.

[stn_sage]

Does anyone have a clue WHY Sanford continues to 'run off at the mouth'
over his sex life?! Isn't he in ENOUGH trouble, already?!

I don't see how CONTINUING to talk about it, is putting an end to it and moving on!

Personally, it makes me think that he's got a LOT of personal ISSUES he needs to work out! And, it makes him look somewhat unstable! I don't know how he can do his job as governor under THESE circumstances!!

He really should RESIGN, because he ISN'T putting this behind him!
And, South Carolinians and Americans shouldn't have to listen to this blather day after day from this man!

[gravyboat4000]

"Maria is my soulmate, but I'll just have to learn to fall in love with my wife all over again"?

You can't be serious, he sounds like a love sick teenager.

Step down, Gov. You're just makin it worse for your family, Maria, and those who you,"crossed lines", with.

Hypocrite!

[Questionews]

I hope his wife likes being called Maria when they're doing the nasty.

[stn_sage]

Yeah, that soulmate phrase is great! It lends legitimacy to an illegitimate act! Leave it to a Republithug to try to worm his way out of it! But, IF she is a true "soulmate", then maybe he SHOULD leave his wife and join Maria! OR---'cut the c*r*a*p', shut up, move on, patch things up with his wife, do his job, and move on?! Right!

[randomlybanned]

Gov. Sanford, I speak for many when I say this. Shut the "F" up! If you really want to fall back in love with your wife then get on over there and work on it. Every time you open your mouth it sounds like you are trying to get "permission" to shrug off everything in your life and go and be with your little homewrecker. Just because Barack Obama is destroying our country does not give you permission to pack it in, give up and call it a day. Or if it does then have the guts to resign with as much dignity as you can muster. Either way just stop talking!! You disgust me.

[formrusmcsgt]

By definition, any man who allows his dork to make decisions for him has no business claiming to have any leadership skills whatsoever.