South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford listens to Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom during the budget and control board meeting Monday, in Columbia, S.C.
(Mary Ann Chastain/AP)Photos (1 of 1)
The Sanford affair: a day-by-day account
South Carolina’s Houdini governor had often given security the slip. But his audacious Argentine tryst was unwittingly foiled by a fellow Republican.
By Patrik Jonsson | Staff writer/ June 29, 2009 edition
Atlanta
From his very first day as South Carolina’s governor-elect in 2002, Mark Sanford made an art of slipping away unnoticed.
Known as much for his loner habits as his mile-wide independent streak, Governor Sanford has insisted on driving his own car, often leaving behind his security detail to jog across the muggy capital or head for a private retreat.
South Carolina does not have an official state protocol for protecting the governor, but there’s an unspoken code that governors work with security personnel – a code Sanford has become adept at cracking, time and again.
Now, a week after the media first became aware of Sanford’s absence, it is becoming clear that Sanford’s rendezvous with his Argentine lover was a gubernatorial escape of unusual daring – even by his Houdini standards.
The disappearance: June 18-22
The first sign that the governor was again attempting a disappearing act came on June 18, when he – or someone – disabled the tracking device on the black state-owned SUV he was taking in the direction of the airport.
As far as his staff, security detail, and family apparently knew, he was off for a weekend of solitude on the Appalachian Trail. In truth, Sanford was crying in Argentina, anguished over his feelings for Maria Belen Chapur, an Argentine TV anchor whom he had met eight years earlier.
He had come to visit her over the Father’s Day weekend – against his wife’s explicit wishes – and spent much of the time contemplating the future of his family, he told the press last week.
But for state Sen. Jake Knotts, a fellow Republican who was worried about the governor’s safety, Sanford might have kept the trip – and the affair – quiet.
The search: June 22-24
Senator Knotts alerted the media of the governor’s absence Monday, four days after he disappeared.
It wasn’t until the next day that Sanford’s staff finally reached the governor. He said he was taken aback by the furor over his absence. But confusion had been mounting. According to a cellphone ping, the governor’s last known whereabouts had been Atlanta – at least 80 miles from Springer Mountain, the head of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia.
On Wednesday, a reporter from the main South Carolina newspaper, The State, located Sanford at Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson Airport. The governor’s obvious obfuscations turned the tale of a wandering Southern governor into a national mystery.
The confession: June 24
That afternoon, after quoting Scripture and talking about his love of the outdoors, the governor broke the shocking news: He had been having an affair. It had lasted at least 12 months. His wife had known for five of them.
The dates he gave coincided with a taxpayer-funded business trip to Argentina in June 2008. The itinerary left ample personal time. He has since promised to pay the state $8,000 for trips that included visits to his paramour.
Sanford’s wife, Jenny, was stunned that her husband broke his promise not to go to Argentina. “He was told in no uncertain terms not to see her,” she told the Associated Press.
Jenny’s statements put new emphasis on a batch of e-mails The State had received on Dec. 30 and purportedly had been written by Sanford. The rambling, personal, romantic, and often angst-ridden e-mails, previously unsubstantiated, now explained the inner turmoil of one of the GOP’s rising stars.
In private, he was writing love letters to a faraway mistress. In public, he was fighting his own party over the state budget and the White House over its stimulus package, which he did not want to take, saying it had too many strings attached. Eventually, the state Supreme Court forced him to take the money.
The fallout: June 24-29
Sanford’s apparently heartfelt apologies during the past week have brought him some sympathy. Many state leaders and even critics have come out in support of the governor, saying personal missteps have little to do with his ability to run the state.
At the same time, he is facing a backlash within his own party. Some Republican county chairs – the core of much of Sanford’s political power – are planning a rally for later this week to demand his resignation. Ironically, Knotts, the senator who had acted out of concern for his governor’s well-being, is now asking for Sanford to step down, too.
But some county GOP chairs have declined to attend the rally, saying the story is a classic case of the biblical precept: Let he who is without sin first cast a stone.
The rift has given Democrats hope that they could make a serious run for the governorship of this deeply conservative state in 18 months’ time. According to one poll by InsiderAdvantage, 50 percent of South Carolinians want him to resign.
Comments
3. William A. Andreade | 06.29.09
Sanford is an immoral waste of a man. God blessed him with a loving wife and four healthy sons. His gratitude, expressed by cheating on his family. By engaging in an extramarital affair. By threatening the stability of the home his children grew up in.
His character and behavior are deplorable.
Fortunately, for him, he is in the South and southern complacency will keep him in office and will cover up his deeds. Such a shame that South Carolina lacks the morals and conviction to remove him from office and shun him from society.
4. Gill Bates | 06.29.09
I would be content not to ‘cast a stone” - except for Sanfords behavior towards Bill Clinton. He is a hypocrite.
Also, he did arrange the trip with the US State department, who arranged meetings for him in Argentina. How could “nobody” know where he was?
Something still does not add up here.
5. Chris | 06.29.09
After what he’s on the record as saying about other politicians caught up in similar scandals, it beggars belief that he hasn’t yet resigned. Even by Republican standards, such gall and hypocrisy is simply staggering. Just go already–and take your sanctimony with you, please.
6. davis | 06.29.09
well Bill Clinton was adman that his personal life has nothing to do with running the government. Also a person with an alternative lifestyle would say that their bedroom business is none of the business of the public. He got caught and admitted it . Looks like he is willing to suffer consequences.
He can not run again so let him stay . Bill did why not Mark
7. Kevin Di Palma | 06.29.09
The article states:
“Known as much for his loner habits as his mile-wide independent streak, Governor Sanford has insisted on driving his own car, often leaving behind his security detail to jog across the muggy capital or head for a private retreat.”
Who was joging? The governor or the security detail?
8. Tom from south carolina | 06.29.09
Um Jake Knotts was not worried about Governor Sanford. He was only acting so because he wanted to have a reason to criticize him. Jake is good friends with Andre Bauer, the lt. Governor, who wants to become Governor. Sanford also supported Knotts’ opponent in the last election….
9. Hmmm | 06.29.09
Rank hypocricy, forgiveness for himself, impeachment for others. Great lesson to teach your kids.
10. Tyler | 06.29.09
“Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Sure- but Sanford has been casting stones at other politicians for ‘moral issues’ for years. One cannot self-righteously claim the moral high ground in a loud and public way, and then expect no blowback from such behavior.
Sanford’s situation is less that of the woman being stoned than it is the whited sepulchre of the Pharisees. If you want to get biblical about it.
11. ghostofelvis | 06.29.09
If we turned back time and eliminated every person from high public office who was unfaithful to his or her spouse we might not have survived as a nation. The list is too long to put in an email. A few examples: Thomas Jefferson; Grover Cleveland; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Dwight Eisenhower; John F. Kennedy; Lyndon B. Johnson; Bill Clinton, and a host of other Senators, Governors, Ambassadors, and Supreme Court Justices. Warren G. Harding, by acclamation one of the worst presidents, had a series of mistresses in the White House. FDR, one of the best had Lucy Rutherford, a relationship that turned his marriage to Eleanor into a political partnership only. Insofar as I can tell some of the worst, or least effective presidents–e.g., Nixon, Ford, Carter and George W. Bush–were faithful husbands. Nelson Rockefeller divorced his first wife to marry another, and died in the bed of his mistress. Most of those who were not faithful were good public servants. The intrusiveness of the modern press into the personal lives of politicians is, on balance, not good for the country. Unless the affair is with a spy, we would all be better off if it sayed a matter between politician and spouse.
12. jethro mayham | 06.29.09
As far as I care, he should resign now and get it over with. The Lt. Govenor can take his place just like he was never going to come back. Outa here Mr.!
13. Alehia Green | 06.29.09
I think the governor will remain in office for the rest of his time. The media should leave him alone. They don’t mind seeing the pain he is going through. They will hound you until there is no life left in a person. Gov. Sanford will pay the State back for little trips that he took and everything will be over. Who are you to judge, you probably have done worst. He made a mistake,and apologized over and over again. How many times do you need to say sorry.
Truly he loves the other woman that makes him feel happy and content, maybe when he is out of office he can connect with her and rekindle that relationship and they can be together. He needs someone who is warm, caring, loving and will accept him unconditionally. Stay Strong Govenor!
14. C.S. Smith | 06.29.09
What about the “peoples” money he used to finance his trip. You didn’t mention this breach of trust to the taxpayers.
16. wade | 06.29.09
Why is a newspaper that used to have a reputation for journalistic integrity publishing a story about details that do not in any way matter?
18. Older Guy | 06.29.09
I live in Lexington South Carolina. Around here Jake Knotts is known as a RINO (Republican in name only) I don’t know why he isn’t in the Democratic Party. He has opposed the governor at every turn and is not exactly his cheerleader. I live in this area. I know.
19. Connie Hownby | 06.29.09
Agreeing to pay back the misappropriated state funds is not enough.
If I walked out of the local Best Buy with a laptop,
only agreeing to pay for it if I was caught at the door,
would the store’s security personnel be satisfied?
20. Marianne | 06.30.09
It sends the wrong message to the next generation that you can do ANYTHING YOU WANT as Governor, and not be held accountable. That if you quote scripture and say you are sorry, it really doesn’t matter that you spent public funds flying secretly to Argentina to be with your lover for five days. Oh, did I forget to mention he has four children and he chose to leave on Father’s Day weekend?
On a more serious note, I fear that the governor may be suffering from a psychological affliction which affects his decision-making. I would not trust the well-being of our state to him after this. He’s not thinking clearly.
21. John | 06.30.09
Good thing Sanford cheated, or webites like this would have to report the wife of Rep John Conyers pleading guilty to consrpiracy to commit bribery and having to resign her seat on the Detroit City council. That is if the CSM reports on democrat scandals involving money.
22. Joann Davis | 06.30.09
This story does not belong in The Christian Science Monitor that Mary Baker Eddy founded on the principle of blessing mankind. The event was reported. Details serve only the lowest common element of public curiosity. Has thi newspaper abandoned the journalistic principles that once made it great?
23. mcgee | 06.30.09
Yeah, screwing around on his wife, using government funds to finance his private affairs, lying, ‘deserting his post’…
A perfect addition to all the governmental bodies and ‘high ranking officials’ I like to call “civil servants”, you know, all the people who are looking out for the taxpaying citizens of the good old U.S. of A.
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1. ComMan | 06.29.09
It appears to me that Jake Knotts was never concerned about Mark Sanford’s safety but has been trying to bring him down for a long time. He might even have kept himself in the loop about Mark’s whereabouts using sources inside and was alerted about this disappearance. People who are worried about someone’s safety don’t alert the media. They try to get in touch with staff and/or family and try to work with them. So there is nothing ironic about him asking Sanford to step down. South Carolina political scene appears to relatively tough shark-infested waters by any standard.