Statement on Governor Sanford

Over the past few weeks I have been shocked and disappointed to hear Governor Sanford’s revelation, as many of you have expressed to me, also. I ask each of you to keep the Sanford family in your thoughts and prayers. As your elected representative, I needed to know that this was a personal matter and not one that was done at the expense of the taxpayers. Last week I was pleased to learn from the results of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) investigation that no public funds were used for these trips by the Governor.

Our Constitution is designed to protect duly elected officials, including the Governor, from removal except for “serious” crimes and misconduct, as it should. It does not appear to me that there is any basis for this type of action in regards to Governor Sanford at this time.

There are, however, some incredible challenges in our economy and the budget, and I believe it is important to focus on meeting those challenges together. I hope that at this time we can move forward by putting the work of the people of South Carolina first.