Huffington Post, The State----
The shock had subsided.
Then Gov. Mark Sanford set the scandal ablaze again, saying he considered his Argentine lover his “soul mate” and saw her more often than he originally had said.
A wave of lawmakers and others jumped off the fence, calling on Sanford to “do the right thing” — resign. Attorney General Henry McMaster asked for an inquiry to determine whether Sanford used any public money to visit the woman.
Behind the scenes, political camps tried to influence, in the direction of their own interests, the decisions of Sanford and others. Meanwhile, polls showed more than 60 percent of those asked thought Sanford should resign.
It seemed as if Sanford was hanging on by a thread. Still, Sanford would not resign, telling one top Republican that he would have to be kicked out of office.
Three factors combined to allow Sanford to cling to his office:
• His wife, Jenny, stepped to his defense for the first time.
• State law enforcement officials found Sanford broke no laws. Absent that, state law makes it difficult to remove a governor.
• South Carolina’s Republican leadership refused to ask Sanford. Meanwhile, lawmakers — in part because of wrangling over the 2010 governor’s race — could not coordinate a push to force Sanford to resign.
And, observers say, unless something new emerges — either in the media or through a legislative investigation — Sanford will survive.
THE JENNY FACTOR:
Jenny Sanford helped ignite the story about her husband’s disappearance with her nonchalant attitude about his well-being. Later, after Sanford admitted the affair, his wife said “his career is not a concern of mine.”
But observers say Jenny Sanford rescued her husband’s political career when he needed her most.
“I am willing to forgive Mark for his actions,” Jenny Sanford wrote July 2 in the last of a handful of statements issued as the scandal unfolded. “We have been deeply disappointed in and even angry at Mark. The Bible says, ‘In your anger do not sin.’ (Psalm 4:4)
“In that spirit of forgiveness, it is up to the people and elected officials of South Carolina to decide whether they will give Mark another chance as well.”
Jenny Sanford’s public words — and private calls to key officials, three sources say — appealed to the faith of many South Carolinians.
“The key player in all of this is Jenny,” said Richard Quinn of Columbia, a political consultant to many of the state’s leading Republicans. “If she wanted him to resign, he would have.”
Jenny Sanford’s statement, Quinn said, “sent a pretty powerful signal that caused a lot of Republicans to be reminded there’s something in the Christian tradition about forgiveness.”
Among those who heeded the first lady’s request were state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, and state Rep. Murrill Smith, R-Sumter.
In a written statement, Davis said he had asked Mark Sanford, his friend of 30 years and former boss, to consider resigning. But Sanford and his wife insisted he could govern and mend the family.
“I am not going to second-guess them in that personal matter,” Davis wrote.
Additionally, a half-dozen sources said, Jenny Sanford spoke directly to a handful of influential lawmakers throughout the week of June 28, including U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a family friend and godfather to one of the Sanford’s four boys.
Graham initially had urged the governor to remain in office. But, later, he only would say “no comment” after a personal meeting with Sanford.
(Graham declined to comment for this story.)
“It was a close circle of friends” who received calls from Jenny Sanford, said state Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley, a Sanford ally who has called for his resignation. “She saw his entire career tumbling. She was the only one who could throw him a lifeline.”
(Efforts to reach Jenny Sanford, Davis and Jon Lerner, Mark Sanford’s Maryland-based political consultant, for this story were unsuccessful.)
NOT A CRIMINAL ACT:
Jenny Sanford’s lifeline gave her husband some breathing room. On July 2, the results of a state law enforcement investigation provided more cover.
The State Law Enforcement Division announced a quickly completed review of records showed Sanford had not used any taxpayer money on any of his admitted meetings with Maria Belen Chapur.
The SLED report was enough for many to conclude Sanford likely did not break the law, a key threshold for removing him.
The SLED report, said Smith, meant Sanford’s problems were private —not public — issues.
“It’s still embarrassing for the state of South Carolina,” said Smith, a lawyer who formerly chaired a House criminal law subcommittee. “But it doesn’t render him unfit to be governor.”
Grooms said the SLED report did not inoculate the governor but did relieve some of the calls for his resignation.
“There’s a lot of things that happened that are very, very wrong that were not illegal,” Grooms said.
In addition, state lawmakers knew forcing Sanford from office would be difficult. The S.C. House can impeach an elected official only for “serious crimes or serious misconduct.” The state Constitution also requires that two-thirds of House members vote to impeach, a higher standard than federal impeachment.
There was another potent political reality countering forces who wanted Sanford out of office: Removing him would elevate — or banish — one of the state’s most influential senators, Glenn McConnell, to the ceremonial post of lieutenant governor. McConnell, R-Charleston, has become a Sanford critic and called for his resignation.
Few think McConnell, the Senate’s president pro tem, would give up his powers of appointment to state boards, his control over Senate committees and a 29-year career to wear a purple robe and preside over routine Senate matters.
Lawmakers also were weighing how elevating Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, who is expected to run for the GOP nomination for governor, would impact the 2010 governor’s race.
Those behind-the-scenes considerations were among reasons momentum was slow to build for Sanford’s resignation.
While state Senate Republicans frequently have battled with Sanford for years, for example, it took almost a week after Sanford admitted his affair for a majority to ask him to resign.
Other politicians weighed in for resignation too.
But slowly.
U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, R-Westminster, for example, called for Sanford’s resignation in the scandal’s second week.
Barrett called for Sanford’s resignation even though many speculated Bauer could have an advantage as a quasi-incumbent if Sanford were to resign.
A Bauer aide seemingly was angling for that advantage. The New York Times reported that Chris LaCivita, whom Bauer has hired as a campaign consultant, was e-mailing national Republicans asking for support to pressure Sanford out of office.
(Bauer said he has not instructed anyone to work on his behalf to force Sanford out.)
Others were angling to keep Sanford in office.
Trey Walker, an aide to Attorney General Henry McMaster, another potential GOP candidate for governor, posted comments on a social networking site urging S.C. Republicans not to call for Sanford’s resignation.
But Columbia political consultant Quinn, who advises McMaster, said he has not coordinated any efforts to keep Sanford in office.
Other would-be governors were openly opposed to Sanford’s departure.
State Rep. Nikki Haley, another GOP candidate for governor, said she worried that elevating Bauer would mean a return to good ol’ boy politics and urged Sanford to stay in office.
The battle for positioning in 2010 meant that, at the end of the day, there were only individual efforts to oust Sanford, not a coordinated effort, said Rep. Smith.
“There did not seem to be any coherent strategy,” Smith said, “at least among Republican members.”
Meanwhile, Democrats, seeing an advantage in keeping Sanford in office, largely stayed out of the fray.
Democratic calls for resignation were “not going to mean a hill of beans to Sanford,” said Phil Bailey, Senate Democratic Caucus spokesman. “It was a Republican problem. The ball was in their court.”
For many, a South Carolina GOP executive committee vote Monday to censure Sanford was — barring any new revelations — the final piece of political cover that Sanford needed to clinch his hold on office.
Republicans largely ended the debate Monday night,
After a tightly organized conference call — which included hours of debate and a handful of votes — a majority of GOP leaders voted to censure Sanford instead of asking him to resign.
Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen and others say that vote likely wrapped up the debate over Sanford’s resignation.
S.C. GOP chairwoman Karen Floyd agreed.
“Today has brought a large measure of resolution to a sad chapter in our State Party’s history,” Floyd said in a statement Monday. “Republicans came together to speak with a unified voice, and now is the time for healing.”
The state’s political leaders have decided it’s “better to have a wounded, paraplegic Sanford twisting in the wind for 18 months” than other options, said Thigpen.
Reach O’Connor at (803) 771-8358.
The evolving scandal:
What has happened since Gov. Mark Sanford returned from Argentina
June 24:
6:15 a.m. A reporter for The State finds Sanford at the Atlanta airport, getting off a flight from Buenos Aires. The governor admits he had not, as his staff had reported, been on the Appalachian Trial. Sanford says he has been alone, driving the Argentine coast.
About 11 a.m. The State informs the governor’s office it has e-mails that detail an extramarital relationship between Sanford and a woman from Argentina. Sanford already has called a 2 p.m. news conference.
2:20 p.m. A tearful Sanford admits he has been having an affair. He apologizes to his lover, his wife and the public and says he is resigning his chairmanship of the Republican Governors Association. He later says he will not step down as governor.
June 25:
Sanford admits seeing his lover on a state-funded trip to Brazil and Argentina in June 2008. He pledges to pay back the state’s expenses for the Argentine leg of that trip.
June 26:
Sanford goes back to work, holding a Cabinet meeting, during which he again apologizes. He again says he will not resign.
June 30:
Sanford tells The Associated Press his Argentine lover is his soul mate, describes the affair as a tragic love story and admits he’s seen her more times than previously disclosed. Sanford says he’s trying to fall back in love with his wife and adds he has “crossed the line” with other women. Sanford also repays $3,300 of the more than $8,000 cost of his 2008 trip to South America.
July 1:
Calls for Sanford to resign grow to a majority of state Senate Republicans after his additional confessions about his lover and other women. Some friends approach Sanford about stepping down, but the governor emphatically rejects the calls to quit.
July 2:
A SLED inquiry clears Sanford of any criminal wrongdoing on his trips to see his lover. First lady Jenny Sanford issues a statement saying she is willing to forgive her husband.
July 3:
Sanford leaves for a Florida vacation, joining his wife and children.
Monday:
A majority of the S.C. Republican Party’s executive committee votes to censure Sanford. The action condemns his actions but does not call for the governor to resign. Sanford returns to work.
Thursday:
A State House rally to urge Sanford to resign draws just 60 people.
This week:
Sanford’s office is expected to release records, requested by media outlets, about the governor’s spending, communications and other subjects.
Road to impeachment:
Barring additional revelations, Gov. Mark Sanford is unlikely to face impeachment. Here is what would have to happen for a South Carolina governor to be forced from office:
• The S.C. House of Representatives must act as the accusatory body, with at least one member requesting the governor be impeached. Two-thirds of representatives must agree the governor either has committed a “serious crime” or “serious misconduct.”
• There is no legal definition for either a “serious crime” or “serious misconduct.” It’s up to lawmakers to interpret.
• The state Senate then weighs in. Two-thirds of senators must agree with the House. If they do, the governor is removed from office.
The GOP on Sanford:
How key Republicans weighed in on the governor’s future
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham:
Graham, who served in Congress with Sanford and is the godfather of one of his sons, has been one of Sanford’s chief defenders publicly. Graham spoke face to face with Sanford the day many Republicans were calling for him to step down.
U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint:
DeMint, who also served with Sanford in Congress, expressed his disappointment with the governor and encouraged him to “do the right thing.” Even when pressed, DeMint would not define what action he considered “the right thing.” DeMint said he spoke to Sanford about his future but would not divulge details.
U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett:
Barrett, who is running for governor, became the highest-ranking elected official to call for Sanford to resign. Barrett took his stand after Sanford’s Associated Press interview in which Sanford disclosed additional trips to see his Argentine lover and admitted “crossing the line” with other women.
S.C. Sen. Tom Davis:
The Beaufort senator is a friend of Sanford’s and served as his chief of staff. Davis said Sanford should finish his term, basing his view on a SLED report that said the governor did not spend public money to see his mistress and on first lady Jenny Sanford’s willingness to forgive the governor.
Karen Floyd, S.C. Republican Party chairwoman:
Floyd said publicly after Sanford admitted an affair that he should consider stepping down. After the state GOP executive committee voted to censure Sanford and not ask for his resignation, Floyd stood by the vote.
S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell:
Harrell, who would have to engineer an impeachment effort, has not called for the governor to resign. Harrell is supporting legislation that would make clear when the governor must transfer power in his absence.
S.C. Senate President Pro-Tem Glenn McConnell:
McConnell said Sanford has lost the support of the people needed to govern and should consider stepping down.
Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer:
Bauer has said Sanford’s future is his choice. But friends of Bauer have called for the governor to step down.
3 reasons why calls for Gov. Mark Sanford to resign ultimately didn’t work:
1. JENNY SANFORD: Gov. Mark Sanford’s wife, Jenny, stepped to his defense by publicly saying she was willing to forgive him and privately assuring key lawmakers the Sanfords could get past their problems while the governor finished his term.
2. NO CRIME: When state law enforcement officials found Sanford broke no laws, calls for the governor to resign slowed. Believing there would be no criminal charges and no additional embarrassments, Republican leaders looked anew at Sanford in week two of the scandal. They voted to censure the governor, condemning his actions. They did not call for him to resign.
3. NOT ENOUGH ANGRY REPUBLICANS: Sanford made it clear he planned to complete his term. So long as Republican leaders never spoke in a unified voice demanding Sanford resign, the governor knew he could not be forced out. Impeachment is a difficult process, and lawmakers are convinced Sanford would survive.
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Sources: The State, Huffington Post, Politico, MSNBC, RNC, Google Maps
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