S.C. Official Requests Ethics Probe of Sanford
State Attorney General Henry McMaster sent a letter Thursday to Herb Hayden, executive director of the state Ethics Commission, according to the Associated Press.
"This is to request the South Carolina Ethics Commission to investigate these allegations involving the use of state planes and any other potential violations of the State Ethics Act," McMaster wrote, the AP reports.
The request follows a report from the AP that Sanford used state planes for personal travel, in violation of state budget law. Additionally, a probe by the state legislature showed that Sanford broke state law by using taxpayer dollars for business and first-class commercial flights, rather than more economical flights.
In an op-ed published in local newspapers on Thursday, Sanford said the accusations took his use of state planes out of context and that he actually used the state plane less than previous governors did.
"Inevitably, I am certain that there is something our office did less than perfect in my constant moving around the state, but I can say with equal clarity that it was always within the context of trying to maximize my days and watch out for the taxpayer in the process," he wrote.
The governor on Tuesday said his taxpayer-funded travel was no different than that of his predecessors, and his office said he did not break the law by flying business-class commercial flights.
"It's been the long-standing practice of the Department of Commerce to get governors a business-class ticket," he said. "I'm not trying to defend the practice, but I'm just saying, that has been the practice, and there is some level of common sense to it."
Sanford reportedly said Thursday, "We've really tried to go to extra mile, when it comes to watching out for the taxpayer. I look forward to the Ethics Commission or anybody looking at the way we used that plane."
While he maintains he had the state's best interest in mind in his use of the planes, Sanford on Wednesday admitted that his political career will be over once his term as governor is up in one and a half years.
"A lot of folks were convinced that I was running for president," he said Wednesday in a speech to a local Rotary Club. "My political days are over."
Sanford began to lose political viability after he admitted to an extramarital affair, which led to the scrutiny of his plane use.
In his speech Wednesday, Sanford said the priorities for the rest of his term include consolidating the administrative functions of several state agencies into one department, imposing spending caps and economic development.