Sanford To Reimburse State For Trip To Argentina

In a statement, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said that he would reimburse the state for a trip to Argentina on which he met with his mistress.

"As noted by the Department of Commerce, I attended a trade mission with the Department of Commerce last June. As the agenda notes, the mission was spent meeting with government and private business officials in both Brazil and Argentina. This trip was handled very professionally by the Department of Commerce, and I'm proud of their work there.

"However, while the purpose of this trip was an entirely professional and appropriate business development trip, I made a mistake while I was there in meeting with the woman who I was unfaithful to my wife with. That has raised some very legitimate concerns and questions, and as such I am going to reimburse the state for the full cost of the Argentina leg of this trip," Gov. Sanford said.

According to documents released by the state Department of Commerce on Thursday, the state paid $8,644.03 in airfare alone for the trip -- more than $9,000 altogether.

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Comments

[cindersgirl]

He rejected Obama's stimulus package for South Carolina only to set a different stimulus package (ahem) in Argentina.

[PrincessNikki]

Again, this is what I hate about these self-righteous hypocrites. He would not take the stimulus for his state so they can keep people employed, extend unemployment, etc. but he used government money to pay for a trip so he could have sex with someone else and cheat on his wife. WTF

[DreamEmbraced]

And S!lly Sarah's using "her fellow Christian" to lead up to her punchline in front of troops in Kosovo. What a sad lot they are...

[SurrealPumpkin]

Does anyone think Sanford would have paid back the money if he hadn't been caught?

[DreamEmbraced]

But of course not...let's keep it real here.

[VSamuels]

Of course, if we had a responsible media that would actually ask the correct questions, rather than focusing on the money in and of itself, the gears might have moved to charging him with ethics violations. The media, it seems, operates to do what is in the interest of selling papers and or ads, thus they focus on what creates the loudest sound in the room, rather than dealing with the most serious issue, which like your question suggests would place focus on Sandford's criminal behavior.

The system that is the GOP and the white male ruling class openly avoids responsibility while preaching responsibility to all else, Sandford's behavior is too predictable and too steeped in history, of how the sycophants and apologists who are in the media and who use the media to shape opinion, will slowly shape this story away from a serious study in accountability.

The system is about maintaining the Status Quo, period!

[forty8r]

So right the system of slavery has always imbeded the white southern man a greater sense of power and entiltement combined with clensing his soul by incoherent interruptations of the bible.

[PrincessNikki]

uummm let me think....Heck No.

[Tom95134]

Maybe he should be paying back his salary since he took office? Anybody who can't manage their own personal life isn't qualified to manage the affairs (sic) of a State the size of South Carolina. And the really weird thing is that his wife essentially told Sanford to live someplace else. WTF? It is the Governor's Mansion and not the Governor's Wife's Mansion. If this clown had any cojones he would have held a press conference the next day and announced that his wife would be staying someplace else until they have worked out a separation agreement. Talk about being p-whipped.

And worse yet, Sanford couldn't even find someone from the Unites States. Talk about the ultimate off-shoring arrangement.

[livingfree]

What does Argentina has to do with the State of South Carolina? That should have been a red flag there. Oh, I will pay it back. No, you stole it from the tax payers of South Carolina and should be charged like any other criminal. This is his second term in office, so he can't act like he didn't know that he was cheating on the citizens of South Carolina. Now, you see why they don't want the people of South Carolina to be educated.

[hasheville]

The sense of entitlement of these men in power needs to be exposed and they need to pay for it.
If I took off from work in the company car for 5 days I would be fired.
If I took off from work in the company car and spent $9k in company money inappropriately I would not simply be allowed to pay it back and all is "forgiven".
This is the hypocrisy that leads them to say we don't have money for healthcare reform - oh. really??!!
Like many Republicans he is is all about "fiscal responsibility" when Dems are in control and all about "family values" when it's election time and they think people will fall for the anti-gay, anti-abortion, pro-gun thing as if that put food on our table. He wouldn't accept stimulus money while 20% of his state is unemployed AND he spends 9k on a trip. Would I spend that much going to Argentina? No, but the people of his state were paying for it so he spent it! Now he whines about being under the constant scrutiny of the media - any sympathy for Obama there? No way! Everything Obama does is wrong to the Republicans who refuse to support our Pres. in trying to fix the godawful mess Bush has put us in!

[LiveLifeNow]

I don't expect much from the state. . In front of their legislature building they had a gigantic confederate flag flapping in the breeze during some reporters interviews. Disgusting and a major insult to minorities everywhere. Thats no different than having a swastika flag up there too.

[susang]

Sanford owes Michael Jackson big-time for taking him off of the top of page one everywhere.

[bruster55]

I am surprised that no one has pointed out the obvious. When Mr sanford used state money to take a personal trip he stole money from the state. Why has he not been arrested for theft.

[theubermensch]

I think this sums up the hypocrisy of the republicans. Mark Sanford said he was fiscally responsible and didn't like to leave debt. He claimed to be the family values candidate, along with being against gay rights. He was one of the leaders of impeaching Clinton and said other people should resign. He wouldn't accept stimulus money, while his unemployment rate was at 20 % and his schools are falling apart. Why isn't the MSM calling him out on this? Mark Sanford and the rest of these guys are liars, and hypocrites, and are not the moral superiors. He must resign, or be impeached. Sanford is done, or I am done.

[Savanna]

Clearly there is a disconnect between what he does and what he says. How sad for his family and his state.

[blukazoo]

Now that he's been caught with his pants down he's decided to reimburse the state for a trip he took to boink his mistress a year ago. How big of him. What a lying scammer. Nothing about this man is honorable.

[charon]

I think "Republican" should be listed in Roget's Thesaurus as synonymous with hypocrite, criminal, and corrupt.

[Essentialboom]

The people of SC drink so much kool aid that he can lay low for a month or so and they will still back him in 2012. The people down here are very backwards in thier thinking. Its actually very sad.

[jqcitizen]

Essentialbloom-

I have never been to SC so I don't know what they drink or if they are 'backward'.

I do know what a professional politician, liar and self-serving individual is. There is at least one in this state.

If there is none where you live, let us all know. Millions of us would love to live there.

[Essentialboom]

That had to be some Grade A stuff. To risk your marriage, your livelihood, your 2012 prospects and reputation.

[JeffersonState]

No one on Earth is happier about MJ's death.

[NoWMDs]

How right you are. He probably wishes he could have waited a couple more days to make the announcement.

[Mirabai305]

Absolutely. I'll bet he's kicking himself for not waiting a few days to make that announcement!