Mark Sanford Faces 37 Ethics Charges

(AP)  South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford faces ethics charges he broke state laws more than three dozen times by violating rules on airplane travel and campaign money, according to details of the allegations released Monday.

It's up to the state attorney general to decide whether to file criminal charges. Sanford's lawyers have claimed the allegations involve minor and technical aspects of the law.

The second-term Republican governor has been under scrutiny since he vanished for five days over the summer, reappearing to tearfully admit to an extramarital affair with a woman in Argentina he later called his "soul mate."

A series of Associated Press investigations into his travel showed the governor had for years used state airplanes for political and personal trips, flown in pricey commercial airline seats despite a low-cost travel requirement and failed to disclose trips on planes owned by friends and donors.

The State of Columbia newspaper also questioned whether Sanford properly reimbursed himself from his campaign cash.

The ethics commission conducted a three-month probe into the allegations, details of which have been awaited anxiously by legislators contemplating whether to force Sanford from office in January a year before his term-limited tenure expires.

The panel announced last week that Sanford would face "several" charges but did not reveal the specifics until Monday.

The governor's lawyers last week characterized the accusations as minor and technical and predicted Sanford would face no criminal repercussions.

The attorneys also said they looked forward to mounting a defense against the charges when the ethics panel holds a hearing into them early next year. They also confirmed that Sanford - as the state investigation was being conducted - added disclosures of his private plane flights to his ethics forms.

For months, Sanford has insisted he did nothing wrong and served as a better steward of the taxpayer dollar than his predecessors. But the former congressman's penchant for riling fellow Republicans who control the Legislature has left him with few allies since the startling June news conference during which he admitted to the affair.

Four GOP lawmakers already have filed a resolution that would force Sanford from office because of "dereliction of duty," and the travel allegations play no part in that move. Their measure deals solely with Sanford's absence from the state, when he led his staff to believe he was hiking the Appalachian Trail while he was in Argentina.

A committee that will consider that measure is scheduled to meet for the first time Tuesday.

Sanford has brushed off repeated calls from his own party to step down and in the past month scored a political victory by helping land a Boeing Co. assembly plant that is expected to bring thousands of jobs to North Charleston.

Meanwhile, the first lady and their four sons moved out of the governor's mansion. While the Sanfords have said they were trying to reconcile, Jenny Sanford more recently has described the two as separated. She is writing a book about the experience.

[mari1963]

Don't get me wrong, Mark Sanford is disgusting, however, what experiences is his wife going to write about? Her experiences as a pampered princess? Her experiences as a governors wife living with all those perks? Her experiences as a woman who was cheated on? I personally think she knew all about her husband's infidelities. She couldn't have been that surprised. Weren't all the signs there? Buck up,divorce him and get on with your life. We don't need to read a book about it. Please!

[stevex47]

what hypocrits the repukes are. They let this guy go all the while going after Obama on his birth certificate.

Unbelievable. Never, ever vote for a hypocrit, lying, adulterating criminal repuke again.

[Sloughfoot]

Ethics charges instead of criminal charges???? SC plays down-home Good Ol' Boy politics, the powers to be don't want to shake this old tree too hard for fear they'll find their own chestnuts in the fire.

[stillunbanable]

This will get swept under the rug.

[bankersvox]

While it may be difficult to get beyond the headlines, this is truly a romantic story, of love and the will to risk everything for it. What did he leave behind ? There are so many 'show marriages" running on empty in America that the Gov. choice to live his own life, with passion is truly inspirational. There is never just one person to blame, in fact there should be "no blame" " no fault" in these issues of the heart.

[nextgenman09]

Tell it to Jesus. He doesn't approve of divorce or adultery.

[pjk12354]

What a bunch of crap! Mark Sanford put himself above all else. He deserves to be punished for all 37 of the ethic violations and much more that he still conceals. He is not the almighty that he thinks he is.

[jsilver2th]

Does this mean he can't be President? Gosh darn he was the rising young star... oh those pesky ethics- But Ensign and Diaper King Vitter get to keep their seats in the Senate- Like Dolly Partin says let gays get married so they can be miserable like the rest of us...

[rowe14]

Should have been impeached months ago.

Why does it take this country so long to do things?

If he was in another country, he would have been impeached by now,or worse!

[rwsmith29456]

Either he did or didn't fly around for sex on our dime. If he did, take legal steps to out him, if he didn't, forget it. Don't just keep accusing because that just makes everybody miserable when there is work to be done. There are people that have access to records that know how to proceed a heck of a lot better than I do. So do it. The people of SC deserve more than having this pop up all the time.

[tafhdyd]

He should be a hit with the environmental group, he is a true hybrid. After good sex like a Democrat and no ethics like a Republican.

[lemonskinkus]

And he's still a Governor. This is the arrogance of politicians. No matter what they do, they'll stick until the end. Throw the bums OUT!