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

South Carolina Law Enforcement Says Governor Did Not Illegally Use State Funds To Visit Mistress

(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)

[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!

[cbs20091]

The Governor should divorce his wife. As painful as it may sound, the truth is that the Governor and Maria are in love. Let's face it. Newspapers said that the Governor will work hard to save his marriage. Governor you are in love with Maria. You will not be happy with your current wife. I wish you the best, Maria and Governor Sandfor. And do not listen to politicians. Just follow your hearts (Maria and Sandfor).

Jenny Sandfor: Move on. Your husband has told the world that he has found his soul mate.

[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.

[walt1944]

It doesn't matter what party stands for what. Mark Spitzer and John Edwards "bit the apple" and they were Democrats.

Politicians are "elitists" living in a world of their own and as long as they feel they are better than the people who elected them, they are going to CONTINUE to "bite the apple" no matter how we, the people, feel about it!!!

HAIL OBAMA??????

[toldyouso29]

If the people you and other Republicans continually gravitate to are venal, nasty and immoral--at some point you have to ask yourselves WHY these continue to be the type of beings that you seek out or vote for.

Because if you really are the party of morals and family values and it is not just a title of pretense--you could never be attracted to men who lie to win or smear others (Bush lying on McCain and saying his child was the product of a black Prostitute) you could never embrace or endorse a war based on lies or torture. What kind of family values are torture and lies ? For that matter, what kind of Christian values are torture and lies?

"Christian" means to be Christlike. Jesus Christ said "be kind to your enemies and to forgive them for kindness to an enemy is like heaping coals upon their head" So how did the interpretation go from kindness to enemies to torturing them?

God also said that --LIARS are NOT his children and have their Father in Satan. When politicians esp Bush and Cheney et al told lie after lie after lie after lie-why did so called Christians defend him and try to ignore the evil there? (A big clue was when Bush asked for immunity for war crimes in 2006)

Now this--there is no party of family values or even Christian standards, there is just this big lie and sham. We'd call it putting on airs or being fake--but it is far more sinister than that.

The real deal is--the politicians you elect give lip service and have no intention and never did--to live up to the "standards" set by the leadership. That standard was to placate the religious among you and fool you into supporting them. Nothing about Abortion has changed, Gay marriage has advanced even more, and everytime we get a glimpse of what your leadership really is behind the curtain--they tell the faithful to "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" you Republicans dutifully look away and hum.

Here is news for you--if truth were known and could be told--and you had your way in cleansing the party of those who do not truly have Christian standards--you would be looking at a party of about .05% with no leaders. Never forget that many sat in judgment of Clinton while they were committing adultery themselves at the same time (Gingrich and Guiliani come to mind)

What we have here, is a failure for the average republican base member to have the will, intelligence and integrity to connect the dots--but at about 17%, what we also have is the reality that more than half of the party DID connect the dots, were honest with themselves and as a result, they have abandoned your party.

It's just like a commercial on tv. Know the difference between the marketing hype and reality. "Family values and moral majority" were marketing gimmicks. the only ones sold on them are the same kind of people who expect the Pillsbury dough boy to come out of the can when they hit the biscuit tin against their counter.

[toldyouso29]

by daffy64 July 3, 2009 6:20 AM PDT
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.


RIGHT YOU ARE...in addition, God said "Pride cometh before a fall" and that he "hated a proud and haughty look" He also proclaimed Christians "righteousness was as filthy rags" IN other words, in modern language to his children "Get over yourselves--because no matter how great or wonderful or holy you think you are, you still need a lot of improvement and if you can't get over yourselves, I will trip you up to humble you" God goes on to say those who are self righteous will be going to hell too. Guess they will be the ones in hell who will continually preach to everyone else--as if, by then, it matters.

[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!

[rwsmith29456]

Who do you believe?

[Questionews]

I guess the hypocrisy factor turns on the fact the Clinton and Kennedy weren't lording their moral standards all over the place like Sanford.

by o_the_potus July 2, 2009 3:24 PM PDT


If the leader of the free world & president of the most powerful country on the planet can't get a little sumpin sumpin on the side, why run in the first place.

I give Kennedy a big high five for nailing Marylin.
He was the White House stud of all time!! Still is.

Clinton nailed Monica. He gets no high five for that one.
In fact he gets a "What the ^&$# were you thinking?" He could & should have done way better than Monica.

Kennedy is still the Lincoln Bedroom King!! Hail to the chief!

[toldyouso29]

He did not nail her. By all accounts she blew him then he stuck a cigar in her then smoked it--that is not nailing, it is not even inhaling, it is called getting serviced--and she got debased with a nicotine stick.

[credibility2]

Dem presidents who were adulterers-Clinton, FDR, Kennedy and probably others. Dem governors who were adulterers-Spitzer and his replacement Paterson and probably others. Someone said that Dems are forgiven because they often get re-elected. Repubs, on the other hand, usually don't. Says a lot about the moral values of Dems who re-elect someone they know is immoral. Ah, yes, power and the appendage.

[rushlimpdrug]

Are you in the habit of writing stupid stuff?
The story everyone is posting to is about a S.C. re"pubic"an gov -
As the re"pubic"an saying goes,
"if you can't stand the heat get out of his pants."

[skyk-2009]

No, I think the reason you clowns are now at 25% in the polls is because you and your party are a bunch of HYPOCRITES! Those DEM Presidents and other leaders didn't go out and take advantage of narrow minded uneducated Religious Extremist just to get their votes. I can think of NOTHING more disgusting that what they have done... NOTHING!!

[tmittelstaed]

Maria worked as a journalist for the Argentine TV station Canal America for about a year, and covered 911 in NYC. There are pictures of her online that you can bring up, as well as video clips. If you look them up you will see that it would be rather difficult to make a claim of "I did not have s3x with that woman" stick.

What you are seeing here is the S.C GOP moving behind the scenes to convince the S.C. voters to not recall Mark's ass, which they really should do.

[Questionews]

At least Bill Clinton shopped locally!!

[ubrew12]

The Outsourcing Party Strikes Again!

[skyk-2009]

Hehehe yeah and he didn't pretend to be with the Party of "family values". We KNEW what we were buying with Bill and we Elected him because he got the JOB done.

[iam4honesty]

Neonuts would rather have a mindless moron in the white house with a soft member that sets about destroying the world than a man with a woody that gets things done. Kinda like the pope tht destroyed so many priceless art works because they were naked.

Anyway, the Clinton story is from the last century. Can we please stay on topic?

[STBY21]

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.


It will be pretty hard to convince the wife that he loves her, but the other woman is his soul mate. He would be better off pulling a slick willy and saying "I did not have s3x with that woman".

[cbsantispin]

The difference between how this matter is handled for Gov. Mark Sanford and the average citizen is that efforts are being made to exonerate the Governor, whereas efforts would be made to convict and charge the average citizen. Adultery is still on the books as a crime in South Carolina, punishable by up to a year in jail plus a fine. The fact that Gov. Mark Sanford also lied about his whereabouts claiming he was hiking when in fact he abandoned his job for 5 days to travel to Argentina for a booty call makes enforcing the S.C. adultery Law more desirable. Then as if Gov. Mark Sanford wasn't in enough hot water or had embarrassed his wife and 4 sons enough, he admitted to lusting after and crossing the line with other women. Republican Gov. Mark Sanford was instrumental in former Pres. Bill Clinton's Impeachment over this very issue, former NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer was forced to resign over this very issue, there was no mercy or sympathy for Spitzer or Clinton and there should be none for Sanford, what goes around comes around, Sanford should resign, the Republican double standard must stop!

[ubrew12]

Agreed. Its the hypocrisy that I can't get over.

[skyk-2009]

Ahhh! The Party of 25%! The Party that gave us Trickle Down Economics and "Family Values". LOL The Party that just keeps on GIVING... I have to wonder how many of these small minded crackers will go right back out next election and vote for ANOTHER "Family Values" Snake Oil Salesman! LOL Seriously these people have the intelligence of a rock. My Dad said it best when one of these Religious Neocon's came to his door. "I want a representative who will worry about MY ability to earn a living in a 40 hour week", he said. "I will take care of MY families values, thank you"! If this bunch of wacked out Confederate Flag Wavers thought like that they MIGHT not be among the Worst when it comes to the standard of living.

[libscrytoo]

25%? Someone needs to learn some Math. Let's see Pelosi (Democrat-Cali) House speaker rating (9%).

[skyk-2009]

What does the Speaker of the House have to do with this? MORON?? LOL Honest you the Party of "Family Values" should try to get a LITTLE Education. Now follow along and I'll us SMALL words so you can understand. The "REPUBLICAN" Party is now, by all polls, representing about 25% of the People. That's because their POLICIES have FAILED so badly they have brought us an ECONOMIC MELTDOWN like nothing we've seen since the Great Depression. The Speaker is responsible for that! The NEWS media isn't responsible for that! None of the OTHER ridiculous excuses you pin heads have used is responsible for that! YOU and YOUR PARTY are responsible for the Election Loss and becoming a REGIONAL Party....

[toldyouso29]

The Republican base is now at 17% though on good days it fluctuates up to about 21% of the electorate willing to admit to being Republican.

[chitown639]

It's ashame that after all those years of lambasting the "MAINSTREAM MEDIA", Mark Sanford is ruining his political career by having an adulteous affair with a member of the MAINSTREAM MEDIA......Poor Mark

SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY......

[culturechang]

But he did travel internationally solely for the purposes of sex....that is now illegal under the new Human Trafficking laws.....but the laws only apply to the common man...not high level politicians.

[nolalou]

That's only illegal if a paid prostitute was involve, especially for encounters with underage children, not if you're visiting a mistress!

[culturechang]

Do you suppose he paid for the hotel, food, jewelery and entertainment for the weekend?

[toldyouso29]

What about all the phone calls on his state issued cell phone? Or did he make all of his calls to his mistress on a private cell phone or from a public phone? Surely he did not call from home--and if he used the phone in the statehouse or the mansion, that was on the tax payer's dime. He said he used to call her and talk to her...who paid for those calls?

[docpeter1953]

When did that international travel for sex become illegal?

I made a trip to China in 2001. Fortunately both of us were of legal age and mutually consenting adults.