Sanford Faces Ethics Charges
[Guest post by DRJ]
Republican South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has been charged with 37 civil ethics violations for using his office for personal financial gain:
“Among the mistakes the ethics commission says the governor made were his:
• Approval of the purchase of four first- and business-class commercial airline tickets for a June 2008 trip during which he met with his mistress in Argentina.
• Personal use of state-owned aircraft for trips such as the birthday party of a campaign contributor in Aiken, and flying from Myrtle Beach to Columbia for a “personal event,” including a haircut.
• Reimbursing himself nearly $3,000 using campaign contributions, including about $900 for expenses to attend a Republican Governors Association meeting in Miami and a hunting trip in Dublin, Ireland, several days later.”
Each count carries a $2,000 penalty so the charges could result in a total of $74,000 in fines. Sanford’s attorneys claim any violations are minor and have been revealed in updated ethics forms.
— DRJ
This is tinder for the impeachment fire to follow.
AD - RtR/OS! (222944) — 11/23/2009 @ 1:08 pmThe chutzpa shown by this creep is EXACTLY what has gone wrong with the republican party as well as the democrats. Where are the statesmen/honest men not out to line their pockets or with a sense of entitlement out there?
GM Roper (85dcd7) — 11/23/2009 @ 1:12 pmSouth Carolina needs some cleanup on the GOP aisle.
DRJ (dee47d) — 11/23/2009 @ 1:17 pmNot only is this guy unethical, but he’s stupid about it as well. Did he really think he could tell people he was hiking the Appalachin Trail, and no one would check it out?
Rochf (ae9c58) — 11/23/2009 @ 1:26 pmEven if most of these turn out to be without merit, this demonstrates exactly why character matters. If you don’t have integrity in your personal life, you’re not going to have any as a politician. Mistakes are one thing, patterns are another.
Stashiu3 (44da70) — 11/23/2009 @ 1:27 pmIf Stanford would switch to the Democrat Party his troubles world disappear as quickly as Barack Obama’s birth certificate, school records, or mortgage application.
ropelight (567018) — 11/23/2009 @ 1:35 pmGood riddance.
Meanwhile, Dodd, Frank, and Burriss are ethical.
JD (b5a4c1) — 11/23/2009 @ 1:36 pmThere is part of me that feels sorry for Sanford. Unlike a professional lech (see: Clinton), Sanford just seemed intensely lovestruck and really dumb. Yes, he was dishonest, lacked integrity, betrayed family, friends and his constituents, without a doubt. It just seemed he was so intensely head over heels for this woman and drowning in the romance of unrequited love, that he lost touch with reality. He doesn’t seem to have that compulsive womanizer characteristic (again, see: Clinton). It doesn’t change anything in the end but I do sort of feel sorry for this dope. It’s been like watching a 15 year old boy become undone.
Dana (e9ba20) — 11/23/2009 @ 1:45 pmBut they are, JD – they truly are.
Dmac (a964d5) — 11/23/2009 @ 1:46 pmAbsolutely, Stashiu3. No one likes to hear that, but it is true. It’s not about perfection. It’s about owning what one does. Taking responsibility.
Eric Blair (c8876d) — 11/23/2009 @ 1:55 pmRegardless of party or political persuasion, this kind of sordid distraction fuels a cynicism we just don’t need now.
DCSCA (9d1bb3) — 11/23/2009 @ 3:27 pmWhat we need is a jobs summit and a reading a speech from TOTUS tour !!!!
JD (87c922) — 11/23/2009 @ 3:33 pm“…If you don’t have integrity in your personal life, you’re not going to have any as a politician…”
I completely agree with this statement, however, it’s always a bit jarring to hear people strongly disagree (even here at Patterico’s) and believe that the two (private/public lives) to be mutually exclusive.
Dana (e9ba20) — 11/23/2009 @ 4:05 pmComment by DCSCA — 11/23/2009 @ 3:27 pm
As if the actions of TOTUS don’t generate enough cynicism? What’s a few more layers?
AD - RtR/OS! (e1051f) — 11/23/2009 @ 11:00 pmHe’s such a psycho he cracks me up.
happyfeet (b919e7) — 11/23/2009 @ 11:09 pmHe should be indicted just for being a dumbass. Why do politicians – on both sides of the aisle – think these types of things aren’t going to get noticed? None of ’em ever learn a damn thing from past scandals.
JEA (0ccd61) — 11/24/2009 @ 4:10 amWhat does one hunt for in Dublin? Guinness?
the wolf (54094c) — 11/24/2009 @ 7:20 amAnd his illegal use of hot sauce in an Argentine dish.
Vermont Neighbor (4126d0) — 11/26/2009 @ 10:37 am