SC gov: Won't be 'railroaded' from office by foes

[August 27, 2009]  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Two months after admitting to an affair, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said "folks who were never fans" won't push him out of office early, including his second in command who said the state cannot solve critical problems under his leadership.

Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and a fellow Republican called for Sanford to step down Wednesday, while other members of the governor's party in the House were expected to discuss his impeachment this weekend.

Despite the growing pressure, Sanford said the people of South Carolina want to move past the scandal and that he will finish the 16 months left in his term.

"I'm not going to be railroaded out of this office by political opponents or folks who were never fans of mine in the first place," Sanford said. "A lot of what is going on now is pure politics, plain and simple."

The scrutiny of Sanford began in June when he returned from a nearly weeklong disappearance to reveal he had been in Argentina to visit his mistress, who he later called his soul mate in an interview with The Associated Press. The trip disclosure led to questions about the legality of his travel on private, state and commercial planes.

Bauer and Sanford have served two terms together but were elected separately and have never been friends.

"The serious misconduct that has been revealed along with lingering questions and continuing distractions make it virtually impossible for our state to solve the critical problems we're facing without a change in leadership," Bauer said.

Meanwhile, the House will likely launch impeachment proceedings when lawmakers return for their regular session in January, though they could also hold a special session before then. Any House member can file a bill to impeach and Republican members were expected to discuss the possibility this weekend.

Sanford said heeding Bauer's call to resign would be like "heaven on earth" because it would get him out of the public eye, but it would not be right.

"Me hanging up the spurs 16 months out, as comfortable as that would be, as much as I might like to do that on a personal basis, it is wrong," he said.

AP investigations have found Sanford used state planes for personal and political trips, which state law prohibits. He also took pricey flights on airlines for overseas trips despite a law that state employees use lowest-cost travel and failed to disclose trips on private planes that ethics officials say should have been made public.

Despite that and the affair, some Republicans have been reluctant to seek Sanford's resignation or impeachment because they do not want to give Bauer what would amount to a long-term tryout for the job.

If Sanford steps down before his term ends in January 2011, Bauer said he will promise not to run in 2010 so that is not an issue.

Bauer said he tried to give Sanford the benefit of the doubt after he admitted his affair, but the state has been paralyzed by questions raised afterward about the legality of his official travel. Bauer said he will go ahead with his candidacy if Sanford does not resign or lawmakers do not force him out within 30 days.

Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen said the offer could be disingenuous.

"My guess is, somehow the Bauer people have thought it through and figured this offer itself could be something -- knowing Sanford would turn it down -- would benefit him in some way in 2010," he said.

Besides the trip in June, Sanford said he visited his mistress in Argentina during a 2008 trade mission planned by the state's Commerce Department and, after the publicity in June, reimbursed the state $3,300 for part of the trip.

AP investigations since had found out about the other travel that has been questioned.

The governor says he has done nothing wrong and that his administration should be looked at in comparison with others. He gave no details but accused others of misdeeds including "folks" flying on the Concorde supersonic jet "in days past." The Concorde was taken out of service in 2003.

His wife, Jenny, has moved out of the governor's mansion with the couple's four sons but says she and her husband are working on their marriage.

[Associated Press; By SEANNA ADCOX]

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