COLUMBIA, S.C. — Embattled South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is meeting with his cabinet a day after a state senator said the Republican governor violated state travel laws.
Sanford has been under increased scrutiny since admitting in June he had an affair with a woman in Argentina. He's vowed to stay in office. He is scheduled to hold a regular cabinet meeting Tuesday.
Fellow Republican state Sen. David Thomas said Monday the governor violated laws requiring the cheapest travel possible when he flew business- and first-class to China and London. Thomas heads a legislative committee investigating Sanford's travel. Thomas said the tickets cost taxpayers $13,700 more than available economy-class flights.
"The two flights by Gov. Sanford were in violation of the South Carolina Code of Regulations," Thomas said in his letter. "The difference in price between the most economical and the more expensive price of the seats the governor chose is approximately $13,700 ... If I were in the House, the answer would be yes, I would be involved in the beginning of the impeachment process," he said. "I think there is enough data right now to take seriously a move toward impeachment. Is that sufficient for impeachment? That I don't know."
A Sanford spokesman said Thomas is wrong and that his conclusions blatantly overreach.