Republican S.C. Governor Sanfords admits Extramarital Affair - Page 5 - Big Big Forums

candygirl · 06-27-2009, 01:16 AM

INTERVIEW: SC 1st lady told him to stop affair:

AP – Jenny Sanford, wife of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, speaks about her husband's recent affair admission …

Associated Press Writer Bruce Smith, Associated Press Writer – Fri Jun 26, 9:00 pm ET

SULLIVANS ISLAND, S.C. – South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford sat in her oceanfront living room Friday, recalling how her husband repeatedly asked permission to visit his lover in the months after she discovered his affair.

"I said absolutely not. It's one thing to forgive adultery; it's another thing to condone it," Jenny Sanford told The Associated Press during a 20-minute interview at the coastal home where she sought refuge with their four sons. They were her first extended comments on the affair.

She said that when her husband, Gov. Mark Sanford, inexplicably disappeared last week, she hoped he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail, as his staff told those who inquired about his absence. That he had dared to go to Argentina to see the other woman left her stunned.

"He was told in no uncertain terms not to see her," she said in a strong, steady voice. "I was hoping he was on the Appalachian Trail. But I was not worried about his safety. I was hoping he was doing some real soul searching somewhere and devastated to find out it was Argentina. It's tragic."

The Sanfords had separated about two weeks ago. She said her husband told the family that he wanted some time away to work on writing a book and clear his head. The first lady said, "I had every hope he was not going to see her."

"You would think that a father who didn't have contact with his children, if he wanted those children, he would toe the line a little bit," she said.

Sanford, who is staying at the official residence in Columbia, returned Wednesday to end days of speculation on his whereabouts, publicly confess his cheating and emotionally apologize.

Jenny Sanford, a Georgetown-educated, former Wall Street vice president, did not stand next to her husband Wednesday during his pained public confession.

Sanford said she discovered her husband's affair early this year after coming across a copy of a letter to the mistress in one of his files in the official governor's mansion. He had asked her to find some financial information, she said, not an unusual request considering her heavy involvement in his career.

She would not comment on what was in the letter except to say "enough to figure out an affair was going on."

She felt "shocked and obviously deeply hurt. I didn't think he had it in him," she said. "It's hard to find out your husband is not who you thought he was."

The first lady said she confronted her husband immediately, and he agreed to end the affair. She said she wasn't sure Friday whether he had done so.

"I guess that's what we will have to see. I believe he has," she said. "But he was down there for five days. I saw him yesterday and he is not staying here. We'll just see what kind of spirit of reconciliation he has himself."

The governor declined to discuss details of the letter and how he handled it with his wife.

"This goes into the personal zone," Sanford said Friday. "I'd simply say that Jenny has been absolutely magnanimous and gracious as a wonderful Christian woman in this process."

Jenny Sanford cried at the end of the interview, and said the couple have been to counseling.

"When I found out in January, we both indicated a willingness to continue working on the marriage, but there's not room for three people in a marriage," she said. "I've done everything in my power possibly to keep him from going to see her and to really make sure she was off the table, including asking him to leave."

About an hour after Jenny Sanford talked of her pain and feelings of betrayal, her husband brushed aside any suggestion he might immediately resign, citing the Bible and the story of King David — who continued to lead after sleeping with another man's wife, Bathsheba, having the husband slain, then marrying the widow.

"What I find interesting is the story of David, and the way in which he fell mightily — fell in very, very significant ways, but then picked up the pieces and built from there," Sanford told members of his cabinet in a session called so he could apologize to them in person and tell them the business of government must continue.

Meanwhile, questions grew about a trip to Argentina he took last summer. While Sanford has agreed to reimburse the state for part of a more-than $8,000 tab that enabled him to see the mistress, state officials indicated they never intended a South American economic development trip to hold meetings in Argentina. That was only done at the governor's behest, said Kara Borie, a spokeswoman for the state Commerce Department.

Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said he did not immediately know whether Sanford's request for business meetings would have allowed him to have taxpayers cover the entire Argentina visit.

Some Republican leaders have called for Sanford to resign and some lawmakers and watchdog groups are pressing for investigations into whether he improperly used state money.

For Jenny Sanford, the focus is the couple's four sons. During her interview, she wept as she displayed the stellar report cards earned by her eldest two sons at their exclusive private school in Columbia.

On the coffee table was a collection of devotional books, including a book of commentary on the Bible's Book of Job, the story of a man whose faith God tests to the extreme.

"Parenting is the most important job there is and what Mark has done has added a serious weight to that job," she said.

YankeeMary · 06-27-2009, 01:28 AM

After reading the above article, it simply breaks my heart that he is such an ass. She seems like a real terrific Christian lady/wife. I think she has done what she can to salvage the marriage. Obviously, she can't, so I hope she is able to put his ass through the ringer and she gets everything. He is a sneak and shouldn't be trusted. I mean once he was caught he should have stopped and focused on his marriage. I can't believe he asked his wife if he could see his girlfriend!!! I don't care what affliation he is. He is scum!!!

gmyers · 06-27-2009, 01:28 AM

He repeatedly asked her permission to go visit his lover. What did he think she was going to say, sure go ahead I don't mind. What a jerk.

speedygirl · 06-27-2009, 01:33 AM

As if asking her permission means anything. Talk about sticking the knife into her and turning it while asking that question. What a narcissist. Who asks permission to cheat then goes ahead and does it anyway? Like he really gave two sh!ts about what her answer would be or her feelings. I hope she owns his a$$ all the way to the bank.

Jolie Rouge · 06-27-2009, 01:43 AM

What a scum bag ! He doesn't desrve his wife ... and she needs to kick him to the curb big time

Quote:

I don't care what affliation he is.

: The only "affliation" he is concerned about is in his pants.

If a man can't honor his wedding vows, why should we trust him to honor anything ?

SHELBYDOG · 06-27-2009, 01:58 AM

You know the old saying "people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks."
I had heard in the news today he was one of the ones who had a big influence on getting Clinton impeached on the Monica ordeal, this is from a blog though.

Sanford Should Apologize to Bill Clinton and Gay Couples

Quote:

Mark Sanford voted to impeach Bill Clinton for having an affair and lying about it while in office. He said, ""I think it would be much better for the country and for him personally (to resign)." In explaining why he voted to impeach the president, he said, "I think what he did in this matter was reprehensible... I feel very comfortable with my vote." He added that Clinton lacked "moral legitimacy" after his affair.

Now, a lot of conservatives will fall back on the old refrain of "But, but, but, Clinton was under oath!" Yeah, who put him there? Who would pass the test of being perfectly honest if they were put under oath about all of the details of their sex lives? I certainly wouldn't. No way I'd tell the whole truth to some pervert like Ken Starr who would later write a salacious, near pornographic, account about it - and seemed to relish every minute of it. That's my business and not his business, and he can find something else to jerk off to.

But none of that matters, because Gov. Sanford agrees with me. He thinks lying to your wife is just as important as lying under oath. This is what he had to say about the affair of fellow Republican Bob Livingston:

I'm sure there will be a lot of legalistic explanations pointing out the president lied under oath, [Livingston's] situation was not under oath. But the bottom line is, he still lied. He lied under a different oath and that is the oath to his wife. So it has got to be taken very seriously.
Game, set and match.

This guy built his career on questioning other people's morals. He went after Democrats like Bill Clinton. He went after fellow Republicans like Bob Livingston and Larry Craig. He was on his moral high horse, all along. Listen to what he said about lying about an affair:

The issue of lying is probably the biggest harm, if you will, to the system of Democratic government, representative government, because it undermines trust. And if you undermine trust in our system, you undermine everything.
So, what about that Appalachian Trail? What about going alone to Argentina? In his own words, through these lies and many others over the last year (at least), Sanford has undermined everything. So, what does he do now that he has fallen off his high horse - he begs for forgiveness and refuses to resign.

Well, if you're going to do that, do it right. I will forgive Gov. Sanford if he truly apologizes and understands the mistakes he made in the past. The mistake wasn't just the affair. It was also in judging others. Not just politicians like Bill Clinton. But also, whole groups of people, like gay Americans. He argued they undermine the institution of marriage while he was busy undermining his own marriage. His wife built his career for him (she was his campaign manager), she built his family for him and he was ready to leave all that behind for an Argentinian lover with a nice rack. And gay people undermine marriage?

I can begin to forgive Sanford is he gives this apology:

I am so sorry for all of the people I judged through my false righteousness. I am so sorry to have judged Bill Clinton for what he did in his personal life. We should have never dragged him through that. I am so sorry for voting for impeachment. I am so sorry to the all of the loving gay couples in this country who want to make marriage work while I made a mockery of it. If they can find it in their heart to forgive me, I will try to be a better, less judgmental, less hypocritical and more open-minded person. Help me to become that person.
Then, we can see that he is sincere in recognizing his true faults. We are all human, but if we are to get beyond his mistakes and imperfections, he must understand what his original sin was. That is part and parcel of what he must atone for.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-u..._b_221019.html

YankeeMary · 06-27-2009, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jolie Rouge

What a scum bag ! He doesn't desrve his wife ... and she needs to kick him to the curb big time

: The only "affliation" he is concerned about is in his pants.

If a man can't honor his wedding vows, why should we trust him to honor anything ?

I have to agree. It would be a different story if he would have been caught once and worked really hard to build his trust up again with his wife. But him continuing to see her shows he didn't just make a "mistake" or used bad judgement. He intentionally set out to screw his wife over. So that proves he can't be trusted period. I say he needs to resign.

Bahet · 06-27-2009, 06:34 PM

Bet he used taxpayer money to go cheat on his wife in Argentina.

dv8grl · 06-27-2009, 07:16 PM

My friends on the BuenosAires message board I frequent are havin' a good ol' time with this!!!!

His staff got confused, when they thought he said Appalachain Trail., he was really saying Argentinian Tail.
Confused again, when they thought he said exotic location, really meant erotic location.
&
What happens in BuenosAires stays in BuenosAires.

They are saying that the paparazzi have staked out one apartment building that "she" lives in & that it has 5 different Marias living in it., but the doorman said the "Maria" in question left before the scandal broke.

janelle · 06-27-2009, 09:14 PM

Finally a wife who knows how to handle this crap. She would not stand by her man while he made his "heartfelt" confession. Told him to get out until he could keep his pants on and get rid of the slut.

I can't believe he used the bible to try to convince his wife to forgive him. He should just shut up cause each time he opens his mouth he makes it worse. Next thing he wants is a little on the side with his wife's blessing. What a frigging idiot.

candygirl · 06-27-2009, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bahet

Bet he used taxpayer money to go cheat on his wife in Argentina.

Yes he did !

Sanford agreed to reimburse the state for part of the more-than $8,000 tab for a economic development trip, which enabled him to see his mistress in Argentina's capital city.

Exactly how much he needs to pay back has not yet been determined, Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said Saturday.

***The scandal deepened Friday when it was revealed Sanford asked the Commerce Department to extend a June 2008 Brazil trade mission to Argentina.

The governor said he saw his mistress during the trip. She lives in Buenos Aires. Sanford said this week that he plans to pay back the state for that leg of the trip.

Asked if the governor requested additional meetings in Argentina so he could see his girlfriend, Sanford press secretary Joel Sawyer said, "Absolutely not. It is important to remember the time line. When the meeting was arranged and the trip agenda was set, as the governor said the other day, he and this individual were friends and nothing more.

"The change of agenda was purely because the delegation was going to be in Argentina anyway and the governor thought it made sense to step into Buenos Aires as well." Some on the Brazil mission, including Sanford, took a hunting side-trip to Cordoba, Argentina, that they paid for out-of-pocket.

Sawyer said the Commerce Department set Buenos Aires as the destination for the official meetings Sanford wanted.

E-mails between Sanford and the woman indicate they had a sexual relationship during the time he was on that Commerce Department trip. The governor's office won't comment on the mistress' identity.

Sanford said he has known the mystery woman for eight years, but it was just a year ago that the relationship became romantic.

Commerce Marketing and Communications Manager Kara Borie said Sanford's request came several months before the trip took place. She said Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor suggested the hunting side trip on their own dime.

Sanford said that he's had his fair share of dove hunting and didn't want to spend five days doing it. So, he said he directed the Commerce Department to set up additional business meetings in the area. He said he did not specifically ask for the meetings to be held in Buenos Aires.

"What we said was in Argentina," Sanford said. "Obviously, the logical place there in Argentina is Buenos Aires because it is the commercial center of the country. I get how it looks."

The governor and a commerce official met with top elected leaders and business interests while in Argentina, according to travel documents. Borie said South Carolina has found establishing relationships with elected officials as a good gateway toward economic development.

Knotts and Rep. Joe McEachern, D-Columbia, said the potential misuse of tax dollars justify an investigation. Both men are former law enforcement officials.

Knotts said Sanford did not attempt to pay back the cost of the Argentina trip until he got caught. He said Sanford should resign, but at this point that should be the governor's decision.

"That is wrong, people," Knotts said. "There are people in the penitentiary today that would love to have the ability to have said, 'Hey, let me pay it back. I didn't mean to rob the local 7-Eleven.' "

McEachern said the governor should resign, in addition to an investigation.

"The citizens of this state have the right to have the facts out front," McEachern said.

Harrell said he is looking for more information on the situation as it becomes available. In the meantime, he said the governor should be asking himself if he believes he can be an effective leader.

McConnell said any investigations would be premature, but the questions raised are legitimate.

"As the evidence mounts about the use of public funds, that will increase, in my opinion, the concern about his continuing," McConnell said. The biggest question Sanford should ask himself is, does he believe he can he bring economic development to South Carolina and help the state climb out of a crippling recession, McConnell said. "I am going to wait and see how things unfold."

Sanford publicly admitted his extramarital affair on Wednesday within hours after a reporter for The State newspaper caught up with him at the Atlanta airport on his way home from Argentina.

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