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closeGov. Mark Sanford has settled charges that he broke state ethics laws, admitting no guilt but agreeing to pay $74,000 in fines.
The governor also agreed to pay $66,223 to reimburse the cost of the state investigation into his travel and to pay for his use of state aircraft, pricey airline tickets and misspent campaign money.
Sanford's use of state assets and campaign money prompted the State Ethics Commission to charge the two-term Republican governor with 37 state ethics violations in November. The violations carried a maximum fine of $74,000, the amount Sanford agreed to pay.
- Story: TIMELINE: Mark Sanford's downfall and survival
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What the agreement says
Gov. Mark Sanford settled 37 ethics charges Thursday. The terms of the agreement:
- Sanford admitted no guilt. In a statement, the governor said he thought he would have been "vindicated" if an ethics hearing were held.
- The State Ethics Commission publicly reprimanded the governor. The commission said it did not agree with Sanford's position that he had done nothing wrong, condone his actions or minimize the impact of his conduct. The agreement ends the Ethics Commission's Sanford investigation.
- Sanford agreed to pay a $2,000 fine for all 37 charges, a total of $74,000. Sanford also agreed to reimburse the Ethics Commission for the cost of its investigation, reimburse his campaign account and repay state agencies for his use of state aircraft and plane tickets. In total, Sanford will have to pay $140,233.67, which he can pay from his campaign account. Sanford had $1.4 million in his account, according to his most recent campaign finance report.
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THE CASE AGAINST SANFORD
What the State Ethics Commission reviewed in its investigation of Gov. Mark Sanford. Commissioners determined there was "probable cause" Sanford violated the law 37 times with his travel and use of campaign funds. Attorney General Henry McMaster has been tasked with determining whether Sanford violated criminal law. The governor’s decision to pay a $74,000 ethics fine but not admit to wrongdoing ends the case with the Ethics Commission. McMaster must still make a judgment of whether Sanford broke any criminal laws.
MISUSE OF STATE AIRPLANES. State law bars any use of state planes other than for official business. Sanford, according to state documents, used a state plane to ferry family members and to attend political functions, possible violations of state law.
USING EXPENSIVE AIRFARES ON FOREIGN TRIPS. State law requires the use of the most economical travel available. Sanford used more expensive airfare, according to state documents. Sanford has defended himself, arguing other governors have paid for similar travel.
FAILURE TO DISCLOSE PRIVATE PLANE TRIPS. The Associated Press reported Sanford accepted 35 rides on private planes that he did not disclose in his state ethics report, a possible violation of state law. Questions have arisen since about whether Sanford should have paid federal taxes on those plane trips.
USE OF CAMPAIGN FUNDS. Sanford has refused to say publicly why he reimbursed himself more than $1,800 for expenses from his campaign account in the past 18 months. The Ethics Commission has likely reviewed those expenses.
In the agreement, released Thursday, the Ethics Commission issued a public reprimand to the governor and disagreed with his argument that he broke no laws.
Also Thursday, a Charleston County family court judge finalized Sanford's divorce from his wife, Jenny, after 20 years of marriage. The judge sealed the couple's financial agreement regarding property and custody of their four children.
Sanford's legal, political and family woes stem from a clandestine, five-day June trip to Argentina, where he met his lover. Sanford later admitted he had been carrying on a yearlong affair and his story of hiking the Appalachian Trail was a ruse to cover his whereabouts. Sanford subsequently rebuffed calls by much of the General Assembly for his resignation and survived a House impeachment bid.
Sanford still faces a pending investigation by Attorney General Henry McMaster's office into whether he broke any criminal laws. Ethics charges involve only civil charges. Sanford previously reimbursed the state $3,300 for airfare for a 2008 South America trade trip, sponsored by the state Commerce Department, during which he met his lover.
"Our review is unaffected (by the settlement), and is ongoing," said Mark Plowden, a spokesman for McMaster.
In a statement, Sanford argued he did nothing wrong and the Ethics Commission judged him by a different standard than other governors.
That has been the consistent argument by Sanford and his attorneys.
"I continue to maintain my belief in the innocence of my actions being judged by the Ethics Commission," Sanford said in a statement. "On the one time thus far that my full arguments and defenses were considered (by the House Impeachment Committee), 32 of the 37 Ethics Commission findings were dismissed.
"I don't believe continuing this is in the best interest of the state, my boys, the ideas I believe in - or those who support those ideas, and for these reasons, I have signed the consent order."
Others said the consent agreement was an admission that Sanford knew he was wrong.
"The fact that he signed the consent order, there's clearly some issue," said state Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens.
The Ethics Commission charged Sanford with violating state ethics laws by buying business class tickets against state law, using state aircraft for political or personal trips, and using campaign money improperly.
S.C. House lawmakers held impeachment hearings to investigate but decided only to formally rebuke the governor.
Martin said it was unlikely the Senate would take up the Sanford censure approved by the House, and likely would move on from the now nine-month ordeal.
"I don't see the Legislature wading into it," Martin said of remaining questions about Sanford's use of state resources.
But Martin said lawmakers should consider clarifying rules governing the use of state aircraft and business class tickets since the consent order would not set a precedent.
"We should clear the air for future governors," he said, "so we don't find ourselves in the same situation down the road."
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