The “resignation train,” it would appear, is leaving the station.
An overwhelming majority of Republicans in the S.C. House of Representatives sent a letter to disgraced S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford Wednesday calling on him to resign “for the benefit of the people of this State, its leaders and our party.”
“Your decision to abandon our state for five days, with no defined order of succession and with no known way to contact you, is inexcusable,” the letter reads. “And while the unending allegations of the past few weeks have raised even more unanswered questions, the immediate result has been one of insecurity about our state’s future and served as a further distraction from the serious issues facing our state.”
Sixty members of the S.C. House Republican Caucus – which currently boasts 72 members – signed the letter, which the governor’s office called “unpersuasive and unsurprising.”
A vast majority of GOP Caucus members originally wanted to send a letter calling for Sanford’s resignation two weeks ago – but were prohibited from doing so by House Speaker Bobby Harrell, who wanted to wait until the S.C. Ethics Commission had finished investigating the governor.
After commissioning a poll of House Republicans last week, though, Harrell quickly changed his tune and actually got the jump on his Caucus mates by calling for Sanford’s resignation Tuesday afternoon – a day before the vast majority of the Caucus moved.
In spite of the growing drumbeat, Sanford remains defiantly opposed to the notion of resigning.
“What this letter does provide is further evidence of a disconnect between the people of this state who want to move forward and many politicians in Columbia who see the current situation as a way to achieve political payback,” Sanford spokesman Ben Fox said in a statement released by the governor’s office.
Not all Republicans signed the letter.
S.C. Rep. Nikki Haley, a longtime Sanford ally, called the letter “political gamesmanship.”
“Governor Sanford is first and foremost responsible for the ongoing scandal that has occupied so much attention in South Carolina for the past couple of months,” Haley said in a statement. “But the leadership of the General Assembly is also stoking those fires and keeping the scandal going, and it is doing so for its own political purposes.”
Haley, who is running for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, is advised by Sanford’s longtime political consultant, Jon Lerner.
Numerous Sanford allies did sign the letter, however, including Reps. Nathan Ballentine, Eric Bedingfield, Jeff Duncan, Tracy Edge, Gary Simrill and Tommy Stringer, among others (click here to see who signed and who didn’t).
“Over the past few weeks, I have not joined the chorus of other Legislators calling for Gov. Sanford’s resignation because we needed time to determine the facts apart from the media frenzy,” Stringer said Wednesday. “In his press conference just after the controversy broke, Gov. Sanford expressed a desire to work with the Legislature to improve the economic opportunities in our state. I wanted to give him the opportunity to act on these statements. At this point, I do not see that effort being made.”
Two weeks ago, Ballentine and Simrill met privately with Sanford and called on him to resign.
Earlier this summer, Sanford admitted to having an extramarital affair with his Latin lover, Maria Belen Chapur, an acknowledgment which has prompted intense scrutiny of all aspects of his administration. Examination of the governor’s travel, in particular, has yielded a number of abuses – beginning with a 2008 trip to Argentina that appears to have been arranged entirely for the purpose of permitting Sanford to see his lover.
Sanford refunded taxpayers for his expenses related to that trip (a year after the fact), but he has not reimbursed taxpayers for the time and resources that went into setting it up.
Additionally, Sanford has received first-class plane ticket upgrades in violation of state policy, misused the state plane for personal and political reasons and failed to report numerous airplane flights that were provided to him by friends and political allies.
While the Caucus letter calling for Sanford’s resignation obviously does not bind lawmakers to vote for impeachment, sources tell FITS that there are currently over 100 House members who would vote in favor of at least one impeachment resolution against the governor.
By Not Sayin', Just Sayin' September 9, 2009 at 4:11 pm
The Resignation Train, or the Impeachment Express?
By CNSYD September 9, 2009 at 4:13 pm
FITS, please publish the list of the 13 who did not sign so we know who to go after in the next election.
By James September 9, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Many of the least impressive knottheads I know are in the House GOP Caucus. If this letter were from a group that fought for lower taxes, transparency, and less government I would be interested. But from this bunch…not so much.
Sanford is not going anywhere. And he is not up for election in 2010. These knuckleheads are and these guy better be careful because our government and state are in the toilet and I don’t think the “blame Sanford” mantra is going to help them at the polls.
His private life did not put us in debt, nor cause our jobless rate to soar. Their sorry asses did, and throwing out the one guy that said “NO” is not the smart thing to do.
By SC Integrity September 9, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Is that a prop for Lerner or a diss? He’d probably need to serve more time on the Titanic before he can bail out to start his own PR firm with has enough notoriety. But including his name prominently next to his client as she jumps could speed up his career plans.
By Jonny D September 9, 2009 at 4:29 pm
The old media, new media and the politicians in the House and Senate should just get together for one big circle jerk.
By COURTNEY September 9, 2009 at 4:34 pm
What an absolute idiot !! Day after day, the gaul of this man just absolutely continues to amaze me ! He must have the biggest damn gonads in the world if he thinks that he has any credibility left with anyone who has a brain and lives in the state of SC!
How is it that he is still walking around without the butterfly net having been thrown over him ? This ongoing scenario just continues to shock the absolute hell out of me ! He must be on some major mind altering drugs if he thinks that there is anyone in this state who still gives a shit about him “finishing up his term” other than the fools who are still working along side him in his office….has stupidity just run rampant through the mansion in Columbia ?? Are they all sharing the same hypodermic needle and drugs ??? Is there not a looney bin in the state big enough to hold all of them ? And be sure to make room for the morons who refused to sign the letter from the GOP requesting his resignation !! Oh my God….Another day, another dollar pissed away on his paycheck !!!!
By newzjunkie September 9, 2009 at 4:50 pm
The story is not WHO signed, but who DIDN’T signed. Plus, as much as I hate to say this, I agree with Haley. This means NOTHING! Put it to a vote and get him OUT!
By ethel krabitz September 9, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Poor Ben Fox..he has got just about the shittiest job in SC – being sanford’s spokesman. the only disconnect is between Sanford and the wishes of the people of South Carolina – that he GO AWAY, take his personal problems, his mental instability, and mostly his energizer bunny MOUTH with him. Thanks to the House members who represented us well by signing the letter.
By CNSYD September 9, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Interesting how many Sanfraud staffers are posting on FITS today under assumed names.
By JR September 9, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Joel Sawyer certainly got out while the going was good, eh Ethel?
By Laura Campbell September 9, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Sickening. Just sickening. SC is the laughing stock of the US. I bet if the baffoons in Cola. called for seccession now the rest of America would hand it to us on a silver, no, golden platter, along with the head of John the Baptist.
A big thanks to all the asses in Columbia representing this state and to the equally as big asses in Chesterfield County who also do such a fine job.
Do press on, though. While we SC citizens sit around and stew about not having a job and file through the miles of red tape to get assistance and VA benefits, when we’d rather be working, we will be watching your political moves very carefully. Perhaps the FEDS from DC need to come and straighten out this mess. That is, if they’re not too knee-deep in their own crap or too busy selling out America to the rest of the world.
By Huhhh??? September 9, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Lerner is Red Sea, right? Isn’t there a C Street connection?
His advice to Mark, Jenny and Nikki is “brazen it out”.
They all are loony tunes.
By Whit Suber September 9, 2009 at 8:05 pm
This may sound stupidly obvious BUT, this is getting pretty percarious.
Mark Sanford has taken quite a fall. He is bound to go down in history as one crazy narcistic dumbass. There is no changing that.
Whatever damage he as done, he has done to himself. And I would suggest that despite all the false outrage on display in Columbia, the only true suffering caused thusfar has been endured by Mark and his family exclusively.
However, that’s about to change. If Mark forces the Legislature to impeach him (or Dwight Drake’s ridiculous plan is implemented), the damage will be endured fully by the State and the Office of it’s governor. If Mark does not resign, it is apparent that this Legislature will impeach him. The resulting damage that will be done to the power and command of any future Governor will be felt for generations. Our state constitution does define impeachable behavior but this impeachment will.
If Mark forces this action in his refusal to resign in the face of it’s inevitable result(s), it will be his craziest and most narcistic act yet. What a dumbass!
By AdrianaTheTran September 9, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Dear Governor Sanford,
Yes, you may have admitted to the affair with the “other” woman, but you haven’t admitted anything with me. And I find that unbelievably sexy.
Thank you. Thank you for keeping our love fresh. Irish Spring kinda fresh. I miss your dumbass smile in morning right before you put your teeth in.
Loving you like gay men love gerbils,
Adriana
Pick up your T-shirt today at http://www.DearGovernorSanford.com
By GoGoSpeed September 9, 2009 at 11:43 pm
HOUSE REPUBLICANS WHO DID NOT SIGN THE LETTER (12)
Kris Crawford
Shannon Erickson
Nikki Haley
Jim Merrill
Joey Millwood
Wendy Nanney
Ted Pitts
Garry Smith
Murrell Smith
Jim Stewart
David Umphlett
Thad Viers
By Shane September 10, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Gov. Sanford is under attack because after his meeting with the Bilderberg group, he must have decided not to be one of their puppets. Have you not heard of the Bilderberg group? Our politicians are puppets to the NWO.