Police: S.C. Gov. Sanford Didn't Break Law

(CBS/AP)  Updated 4:59 p.m. ET

South Carolina's top police official 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 Sanford does not intend to resign.

"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," spokesman Joel Sawyer said in a statement. "This issue is behind us once and for all."

South Carolina's attorney general asked police to investigate the Republican 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.

Sanford will head to Florida for the weekend and will be concentrating on repairing the damage he has done to his marriage and building back the trust of the people of South Carolina, his Sawyer said.

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 Chapur is his soul mate, but he is trying to fall back in love with his wife.

Sanford's office Thursday afternoon released the governor's personal travel records to the media. You can view them here and here. (PDF)

[jpt51]

Given this logic, what are the chances a S.C. food stamp client that forgets to report a change in income for a few days after the time limit will no longer be prosecuted for violating the law? I wouldn't bet any money on leniency!

[ryan_heart]

Hi
My name is adam
I have something i'd like to return too.
An apple with two bites out off it.
Can you give me directions to SC?



NEWS RELEASE ###

Attention Blind Bat News Media Editors!

The GOP Dirty Politics Moral Hypocrisy is The Most Expensive Catastrophe in World History!

Clinton Impeached
Gore Lost because of Mud slung on Clinton
Bush elected
Iraq war - 1 trillion dollars
economic crash - 40 trillion

GOP ruined everything - By using sex scandal Hypocrisy
Sanford and GOP voted to impeach Clinton
Sanford Lied just like Clinton
Sanford remains un-impeached
GOP got away with it ?.
GOP ruined everything - By using sex scandal Hypocrisy

IMO No should be impeached for infidelity?. Nevertheless

GOP Dirty Politics Moral Hypocrisy is The Most Expensive Catastrophe in World History!

[Icarus27k]

Gov. Mark Sanford didn't break the law? Are you kidding me?

[cbsantispin]

Police: S.C. Gov. Sanford Didn't Break Law

The S.C. Police are wrong, Gov. Mark Sanford did break the Law, Adultery is still on the books in S.C. as a crime punishable by a year in jail and a fine. South Carolina may not want to enforce their Adultery Law in this case but it does exist, its on the books and Gov. Sanford as a Public Official could be prosecuted if the S.C. Prosecutors wanted to pursue it. The most interesting aspect of the S.C. adultery law is that it does not matter where the adultery occurs, it only matters that you are a S.C. citizen, so Gov. Mark Sanford's repeated booty calls with his Soul Mate Maria Belen Chapur does not make him innocent or exempt because it occurred in Argentina or New York Hotels.

Everyone should notice the approach, attitude and treatment towards Gov. Mark Sanford's adultery and compare it to former Pres. Bill Clinton's and former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's. Gov. Mark Sanford is being treated as if all he did was jaywalk whereas Bill Clinton and Eliot Spitzer were treated like they committed the worst crime in history. The treatment of these incidents or lack thereof depending on who committed the adultery speaks volumes about the Republican double standard, now that it's Gov. Mark Sanford would committed the adultery, suddenly its no big deal. Clinton was Impeached and Gov. Sanford wanted him removed from office, Eliot Spitzer was forced to resign while Republican Senator David Vitter got to stay in the Senate and now Republican Gov. Mark Sanford is being excused with language like they hope he can heal and repair his relationship with his family and remain Governor! Give us a break!

[walt1944]

The South Carolina police say Sanford didn't use state funds for his "adventures" trying to play James Bond!!!

The South Carolina police work for the state of South Carolina.

Their paychecks are signed by Sanford.

So what would you expect them to say????

Either you "ball ball" or you're out of the ball game!

That's Politics! As Supreme Court Justice Scalia would say, "LIVE WITH IT!!!"!

The BIG LOSERS in this are the people of South Carolina who are going to have to put up with "their" version of 007 so he can keep playing "hookey" from the governor's office!

But, when you think of it, us average people are ALL BIG LOSERS these days, are we not??? Even with Barack "Change" Obama in the Oval Office!!!

HAIL OBAMA???????????

[ladypirate2]

Incidentally, I am a proud Republican but we need to get rid of people like this man out of our party. If our Republican politicians don't live up to the Christian standards that the Republican party stands for then they should either be forced to resign or impeached or voted out of office. It's time we Republicans took a good look at who is representing us politically and cleaned our house! People like Governor Sanford are killing us politically. We've got to get rid of them! I'm not saying, though, that we should stop being the party of Christian standards and family values. We should NEVER give up on God or give up our Christian standards. We should, though, get rid of our politicians that don't live up to our Christian standards and be much more careful about the kind of people that we elect into office! If we don't we are in serious trouble in the next election because we are shooting ourselves in the feet!

[cbsantispin]

Gov. Mark Sanford has bitten Maria Belen Chapur's Apple inside his marriage, and has admitted to improperly tasting other illicit fruit from other women. As a leader of Republican Conservative Christians, Gov. Sanford also sinned against God calling Maria Chapur his Soul Mate while still married to a loyal and devoted wife. Gov. Mark Sanford claims to love Maria Belen Chapur and also claims she is his Soul Mate. It really is not for us to judge Gov. Sanford, but one thing is clear, his ticket to Heaven has been canceled and his ticket to Hell has been punched!

[daffy64]

No. You don't need to purge imperfect people from your party. You need to stop boasting that you're morally superior to others.

Remember Jesus taught humility. "You point out the speck in your brother's eye while ignoring the log in your own."

He didn't teach perfectionism.

[ladypirate2]

The people of South Carolina elected this man to be their governor. In effect they hired him to do a job. When they elected him they expected him to be on the job everyday working for them and doing what they elected him to do and doing what they are paying him for. They are not paying him to take off for days without giving prior notice and without telling anyone where he is going or when he'll be back or how he can be reached while he's gone. They need someone that they can depend on, who'll be on the job everyday. This guy has shown that he is unreliable in several ways. He is unreliable as a husband, as a father, and as an employee of the state of South Carolina. He should be given his "walking papers" both as a husband and as the governor of SC.

[ladypirate2]

His wife is silly if she takes him back! If she's stupid enough to take him back she deserves to have a cheating husband and she deserves whatever bad treatment he gives her! And another thing, why is it his choice as to whether he keeps his job or not? The people of South Carolina shouldn't let him make that decision. They should give him no choice. He should be told that if he doesn't resign voluntarily he'll be impeached. He should be forced to resign!

[toldyouso29]

outh Carolina's top police official 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 Sanford does not intend to resign."


Hmmm Police don't interpret laws--lawyers and Judges do that. Police just enforce the law. When the DA says no laws were broken we can stop this line of questioning--a police chief saying it? Unless they are also judges or lawyers or it is one of their mainstream laws--they have no idea what laws were broken or not broken. This is just as bad as Bush saying torture was not torture or was not against any laws, then quietly removing our signature from the Geneva Conventions and asking Congress to grant him immunity from War Crimes.

[stn_sage]

Yeah, sure! Where I come from, if you're a state official and you use state monies for a non-State sanctioned function or purpose, it's called 'misappropriation of funds'! It IS illegal! You can be charged with a crime! And, you can be tried for it, too!

It's a good thing for Sanford, that in South Carolina state officials apply the law 'selectively' or unequally! They like to protect their crooked, Republican leaders in that state!