Mark Sanford crossed lines with other women. South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford says an Argentine woman is his “soul mate” and admits to relationships with other women. NBC’s Mark Potter reports.
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Jenny Sanford: "I am now filing for Divorce"
The First Marriage (South Carolina Governor's) is ending.
First Lady Jenny Sanford issued a statement this morning saying she is filing for divorce from Gov. Mark Sanford.
In a two-page filing made this morning in Charleston County family court, Jenny Sanford asked for a divorce on grounds of adultery.
The news comes the same week as Gov. Sanford was censured but spared impeachment by a House subcommittee investigating allegations that Sanford misused campaign money, and state planes and other assets. Those allegations came to light after the governor secretly left the state for five days in June to visit his Argentine lover.
In a mid-day statement today, Gov. Sanford responded to his estranged wife’s announcement by saying: "While it is not the course I would have hoped for, or would choose, I want to take full responsibility for the moral failure that led us to this tragic point. Jenny is a great person, and has been a remarkable wife, mother and first lady. She has been more than gracious these last six months and gone above and beyond in her patience and commitment to put the needs of others in front of her own. While our family structure may change, I know that we will both work earnestly to be the best mom and dad we can be to four of the finest boys on earth.”
In her court filing, Jenny Sanford said “the defendant has engaged in a sexual relationship with a woman other than the plaintiff (Jenny Sanford). The plaintiff has not condoned that relationship and is informed and believes that she is entitled to a divorce ... on ground of adultery.”
The first lady’s filing said she “is informed and believes that all ... matters between the parties” — custody of the couple’s four sons and division of their assets — ”will be resolved by agreement, which agreement will be presented to the court for approval and adoption. ...”
While both Sanfords — who married in Florida in 1989 — regularly are described as multi-millionaires, Jenny Sanford is, in fact, the wealthier. She is an heir to Skil saw fortune, while his wealth is largely based on illiquid land holdings.
Gov. Sanford had said Thursday that he still hoped to save his marriage. “There are hopes to reconcile.”
The two-term, Republican governor made his comments a day after Jenny Sanford appeared on Barbara Walters’ ABC special on the 10 most fascinating people of 2009.
In that interview, recorded earlier, Jenny Sanford was asked if their 20-year marriage would survive. “I think the hurdles are significant,” he replied.
Jenny Sanford went on to say she had forgiven her husband, but forgetting was another matter.
Gov. Mark Sanford said Thursday that he did not watch the interview.
Jenny Sanford and the couple’s four sons left the Governor’s Mansion this summer and moved to the family’s Sullivans Island home, leaving Mark Sanford in Columbia.
Jenny Sanford’s statement says:
“As so many of us know, the dissolution of any marriage is a sad and painful process. It is also a very personal and private one. Because Mark and I are public figures, we have naturally had less privacy with which to deal with our difficulties than do other couples. Indeed, I know it will soon become known so I choose to release this brief notice that I am now filing for divorce. This came after many unsuccessful efforts at reconciliation, yet I am still dedicated to keeping the process that lies ahead peaceful for our family.
“I remain thankful to so many across this state and nation for their words of encouragement and prayers during this difficult time. Please know the boys and I are doing well and are blessed with the incredible support of friends and family and bolstered by our faith and the unfailing love of our God above.”
SC Panel Nixes Gov Impeachment, Considering Rebuke
South Carolina lawmakers on Wednesday quashed a move to oust Gov. Mark Sanford over his summertime tryst and his use of state aircraft, saying his embarrassing conduct was not serious enough to merit impeachment.
Lawmakers were still considering whether to recommend an official reprimand.
Six of the seven panel members said they believed the events surrounding Sanford's extramarital affair involving an Argentine woman did not rise to a high enough level to warrant his removal from office prior to the end of his second and final term in January 2011.
"We can't impeach for hypocrisy. We can't impeach for arrogance. We can't impeach an officeholder for his lack of leadership skills," said Rep. James Harrison, the Columbia Republican who headed the panel.
Sanford has been under scrutiny since June, when he tearfully revealed the affair. Ensuing probes of his travel and campaign spending have led to more than three dozen state ethics charges and the potential for $74,000 in fines.
Only eight U.S. governors have been removed by impeachment, and the only two removed in the last 80 years each faced criminal charges.
Technically, the outcome of Wednesday's vote will be sent as a recommendation to a full House Judiciary panel, which could revive an impeachment effort. However, that is unlikely given the margin of the vote.
The decision breathes new life into Sanford's remaining 13 months as governor, though he still faces further legislative votes on the official rebuke. He's also the subject of a State Ethics Commission hearing on more than three dozen civil charges involving his use of state planes, pricey commercial airlines seats and campaign money. The state attorney general is considering whether those accusations will lead to criminal charges.
The panel honed in on Sanford's trip to Argentina in June, debating how seriously to consider the governor's five-day absence during which his staff was led to believe he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. Legislators pushing for impeachment sought to punish Sanford for bringing "extreme dishonor and shame" and contended he was derelict in his duty.
"We have a governor forsaking, abandoning, deserting his office. We have a premeditated, intentional act where he abandoned his office in the state," said state Rep. Greg Delleney, the Chester Republican who most vehemently pushed for impeachment. "He has lost all moral authority to lead this state."
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Sources: The State, ABC News, MSNBC, Vogue, Google Maps
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