South carolina House GOP Eyes ["Loverboy" Governor Mark] Sanford's Future, Will Discuss Impeachment At Beach Meeting. I Say: Let's Get It On, Guys.

House GOP eyes Sanford's future
Lawmakers will discuss impeachment at beach meeting
By JOHN O’CONNOR

House Republicans will discuss whether to impeach Gov. Mark Sanford when they meet in Myrtle Beach this weekend.

Lawmakers, once reluctant to discuss removing Sanford, will weigh what it would take to force the Republican governor out and how the process would work.

Republicans expect the meeting — an annual gathering to discuss agenda, issues and politics, and to play golf — will be dominated by discussion of Sanford’s future — and what role the House will play in it.

Sanford probe: Where it stands

Attorney General Henry McMaster has asked the State Ethics Commission to investigate Gov. Mark Sanford’s use of state resources. The Ethics Commission, whose work is confidential, cannot say whether it has accepted the case. Sanford’s office said that it has yet to hear from the commission and that it was premature to say whether Sanford would waive confidentiality.

Sanford has been under fire since secretly leaving the country for five days in June to meet his lover and later admitting an extramarital affair with the Argentine woman. Since then, Sanford has been under fire for flying in expensive business-class seats and his use of state and private planes. All could violate state law or ethics rules.

The state Constitution allows officials to be impeached for “serious crimes or serious misconduct in office.” It does not define either.

If impeached by the S.C. House, and tried and convicted by the Senate, Sanford could be removed from office.

Senate Republicans have asked Sanford to resign, but he has refused. House leaders, who have been quiet on whether Sanford should resign, have yet to address whether the House should impeach Sanford, saying only it is unlikely the House will do anything before returning to Columbia in January.

But some House members — including state representatives Sanford has targeted in elections — want the governor to go.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said Sanford will be discussed at the closed-door meeting this weekend. But Harrell said he also wanted to talk about economic development, health care, the budget and other agenda items.

Harrell declined to say whether Sanford should be impeached.

“We’ll talk through with the caucus about what the caucus members want to do,” Harrell said. “I don’t know what the caucus is going to say, but I look forward to hearing it.”

Other House Republicans are pushing for action now.

“There’s been a lot of silence. There’s been a lack of direction,” said state Rep. Greg Delleney, R-Chester, chairman of the Judiciary subcommittee that would likely handle impeachment. Delleney said he would vote for a bill to impeach Sanford.

“He left the state without anyone knowing where he was,” Delleney said, adding that is “serious misconduct.”

“That was a dereliction of duty as far as I was concerned.”

Senate leaders have been frustrated at the House response to the Sanford scandal. Impeachment must begin in the House, forcing the Senate — where a majority of GOP senators, who control the body, want Sanford to resign — to wait on the House to act.

State Rep. Tom Young, R-Aiken, said the impeachment question needs to be resolved.

“(Voters) want us to deal with it,” Young said of his constituents. “It will be a complete distraction ... if we wait until January,” when lawmakers return to work.

Sanford, who has refused to resign, declined to discuss possible impeachment.

“We wouldn’t presume to guess what political detractors or foes, or for that matter the Judiciary Committee, may or may not decide to do this next year. But we do know that there are real issues facing South Carolina tied to economic development, job creation, restructuring and spending,” said spokesman Ben Fox, adding that Sanford wanted to work with lawmakers.

Sanford has angered many lawmakers, including several GOP members of the House Judiciary Committee, which would handle impeachment. Sanford or allied political groups have campaigned against four GOP Judiciary members, Young, Keith Kelly of Spartanburg, George Hearn of Horry County and Mike Sottile of Charleston.

House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham, R-Lexington, said the gravity of impeaching a governor means lawmakers will have to put aside past political disputes.

Bingham and other lawmakers said they do not know whether there is clear-cut evidence Sanford has committed a serious crime or serious misconduct.

“While you can not like somebody’s behavior,” Bingham said, “in order to remove somebody from office, it’s got to at least rise to the level that’s spelled out in the Constitution.”