COLUMBIA, S.C. — A group of South Carolina House lawmakers wants sworn statements from the governor’s staff and others, detailing events leading up to Gov. Mark Sanford’s five-day vanishing act in June.
Those details, they say, will help determine whether Sanford should be impeached for his secret trip to visit his lover in Argentina.
Tuesday, the seven House members met for the first time to consider a resolution to try the embattled two-term Republican governor. They hope to wrap up their work by Christmas and send a recommendation on impeachment to the full Judiciary Committee.
The committee also voted to delve into 37 charges made by the State Ethics Commission, including claims Sanford used campaign cash and state aircraft for personal reasons.
Under the state constitution, Sanford must be guilty of a serious crime or other serious misconduct to be impeached.
Sanford’s attorneys have said repeatedly that the governor’s disappearance does not rise to the level of impeachment; nor, they say, do the ethics charges, which they have deemed “minor” and “technical.” Republican Rep. Greg Delleney, a chief sponsor of the resolution and member of the subcommittee, made an impassioned speech during Tuesday’s meeting, claiming Sanford, commander of the South Carolina National Guard, abandoned his post, which constitutes a dereliction of duty.
“The lieutenant governor was not aware of the governor’s absence from the state of South Carolina, and during his absence there was no established chain of command,” Delleney said.
But fellow panel member Rep. Walt McLeod, a Democrat, disagreed with Delleney’s interpretation, noting that the governor is a civilian.
