SC High Court Washes Its Hands Of Sanford Report

The S.C. Supreme Court on Thursday washed its hands of a controversial ethics report on S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford, essentially leaving the decision regarding the release of the report up to the State Ethics Commission.

The report, which is still being compiled, has become a central document in the on-again, off-again drive to impeach Sanford.  That’s a curious situation, especially considering that the governor appoints all nine members of the Commission and has received political campaign contributions from several of its members.

Nonetheless, the release of the Ethics Commission’s preliminary findings is considered at this point to be the determining factor in whether or not Sanford will survive a rash of summer scandals, as the document could serve as a basis for impeachment charges.

Those findings are due to be completed this week.  In fact, several sources close to the Commission tell FITS the preliminary report is already complete, and that the agency was merely waiting for a go-ahead from the Court to release it.

We’ll find out soon enough.

Anyway, after pledging earlier this summer that he would allow the Commission to conduct its investigation publicly, Sanford seemed to reverse himself just weeks later when he sued to block the release of the preliminary report – saying it violated due process.  Pressed by his members, S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell filed a separate suit with the Supreme Court as well, seeking to guarantee legislative access to the Commission’s preliminary findings.

The Court denied both requests, tossing the matter back to the Commission.

In a side ruling, however, the Court did find that Sanford waived his right to confidentiality in an August 28 letter that he sent to the Commission. That ruling could have ramifications down the road depending on what’s in the preliminary report and how the Commission decides to release it.

“In an effort to once again go the extra mile, I would like to waive my right to confidentiality in your upcoming ethics probe,” Sanford said in the previously unreleased letter.

He later called his decision a “unilateral step.”

Of course, the governor later said that he would use every legal means at his disposal to fight impeachment and removal from office.

Sanford’s administration came under intense scrutiny earlier this year when the governor took a secretive trip to Argentina to see his Latin lover, Maria Belen Chapur.  After being caught lying about his whereabouts, Sanford later confessed to the affair.

Shortly thereafter, the governor refunded several thousand taxpayer dollars that went to pay for a prior “economic development” mission to Argentina, a trip that appears to have been set up solely for the purpose of facilitating a liaison between Sanford and Chapur.

Following these revelations, investigations into Sanford’s travel practices quickly mushroomed – revealing a host of abuses.  Specifically, Sanford is accused of receiving first-class plane ticket upgrades in violation of state policy, misusing the state plane for personal and political reasons and failing to report numerous airplane flights that were provided to him by friends and political allies.

An impeachment resolution has already been drawn up against Sanford by S.C. Rep. Greg Delleney, although it was ruled out of order during a special legislative session last week by House Speaker Bobby Harrell.  Delleney’s resolution focuses on Sanford leaving the state without notifying officials and lying about his whereabouts, not the various allegations being investigated by the Ethics Commission.

WEB EXTRA

S.C. Supreme Court Ruling on Sanford Ethics Report

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