It was round two Tuesday, for South Carolina lawmakers considering the impeachment of Governor Mark Sanford. Tuesday's hearing by the House Judiciary Committee panel focused on Sanford's use of a state-owned plane.
The State Ethics Commission studied more than 600 flights taken by the governor and brought up questions about nine of them. Attorneys for Sanford said those flights were perfectly legal, but a few lawmakers suggested that some were for personal reasons.
In April of last year, Governor Sanford brought his family on a state-owned plane to Myrtle Beach for the soft opening of Hard Rock Park. The State Ethics Commission questioned whether that flight was official business, but Sanford says it was just the sort of thing that governors always do, like the groundbreaking for the Boeing plant in North Charleston.
"There can't be a double standard wherein you say it's ok to take the state plane to go to the opening of a manufacturing facility but it's not ok to go to the opening of the largest single tourism investment in South Carolina history," said Sanford.
Members of the House Judiciary Committee panel had few questions about that flight, but other flights attracted more scrutiny. One lawmaker suggested that flights Sanford took to attend Republican party dinners and a birthday party for a major campaign contributor were purely political.
"If he's there talking about his plan for restructuring government, that's one thing. If he's there for stirring the hearts and fevers of the Republican party to raise money to beat democrats in the next election, that's another thing," said Representative James Smith, a Democrat from Richland County.
But Sanford's attorneys argued all nine flights questioned by the ethics panel were for official business and permissible under state law. They said Sanford never received any personal economic gain from the flights and made no attempt to cover them up.
His attorneys said, even if there are ethical questions about the flights, that's not enough to throw a governor out of office.
"I think it'll be clear, crystal clear at the end of the day that nothing here rises anywhere near the level of what would be an impeachable offense," said Sanford's attorney, Butch Bowers.
One problem for both Sanford's critics and defenders is that this process is unprecedented in South Carolina and there are no clear guidelines for what is an impeachable offense. One lawmaker said, we're making up standards as we go along.
The next impeachment hearing will be Thursday, focusing on Sanford's commercial airline travel and reimbursements from campaign funds.
To leave a comment, scroll down and click on "post a comment."
------------------------
Panel wraps 2nd day of Sanford impeachment hearing
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Lawmakers considering the impeachment of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford have finished their discussion of his use of state-owned aircraft for personal and political purposes.
Attorneys Butch Bowers and Kevin Hall said during a three-hour hearing Tuesday that Sanford did nothing wrong on any of the nine flights questioned by the state Ethics Commission.
Sanford has been under scrutiny since he returned in June from a rendezvous with his Argentine lover and confessed a yearlong affair. House Judiciary Committee members are holding a series of hearings to discuss ethics charges that include travel on state-owned planes.
The panel reconvenes Thursday to discuss Sanford's commercial airline travel, reimbursements from campaign funds and failure to report trips on private planes.
---------------------
(10:39am) SC legislators resume gov's impeachment hearings
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina legislators have resumed discussions on whether Gov. Mark Sanford should be impeached as they consider issues involving his travel on state-owned aircraft.
Tuesday's hearing is the second of at least four for the seven members of the House Judiciary Committee in the wake of Sanford's tearful confession of an affair earlier this year.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Harrison says legislators are looking at state Ethics Commission charges involving the Republican governor's use of state airplanes for personal and political purposes.
Before the hearing, Sanford's attorneys distributed a handout laying out their response to the allegations. Sanford has been under scrutiny since he returned in June from a rendezvous with his Argentine lover and confessed a yearlong affair.
