Wednesday, Sep. 09, 2009

Harrell pushes governor to resign

Speaker joins growing chorus of key Republicans

House Speaker Bobby Harrell urged Gov. Mark Sanford to resign Tuesday, warning the state would become “bogged down” by the embattled governor’s “distractions.”

Harrell is one of the most powerful Republicans in the state, and joins a majority of Senate Republicans in calling for Sanford’s resignation. Harrell had not yet publicly taken a stand on Sanford and had cooled House Republican Caucus efforts to ask Sanford to resign at a meeting last month.

House Republican leaders surveyed members over the last week and are expected to release a letter this week urging Sanford to resign.

“Far too much time is being occupied with daily questions related to the next “Sanford issue,” Harrell wrote in a letter to Sanford, “and is pushing aside the ability of our state to deal with the pressing issues it faces.”

Harrell stopped short of discussing removing Sanford from office, saying that decision would be based on the results of an on-going State Ethics Commission investigation. But Harrell’s announcement will have no impact on lawmakers who believe Sanford abandoned his duties when he secretly left the state for five days in June to rendezvous with his Argentinean lover.

Subsequent media investigations raised questions about Sanford’s use of business-class airfare on state trade trips, state plane use, unreported private plane flights and how the governor has spent campaign funds.

Sanford has said he has no plans to resign, and in an interview with Columbia radio station WVOC said his actions were not equal to those of eight other governors who have been impeached across the country.

Those governors, most recently Illinois’ Rod Blagojevich, had done “fairly heinous things,” Sanford said. “There’s certainly a world of difference between what has happened in those instances and what happened here.”

Sanford came to the interview armed with a binder filled with highlighted notes and charts to defend his positions. He again apologized for his affair, but said he had a job to finish.

“We have to get up each day and not call it quits based on the mistakes in life,” he said. “I’m not looking for a fight, but I am looking for the truth.”

But lawmakers said Sanford should expect a challenge to remain in office through next spring.

“There is going to be a Republican impeachment resolution,” said Rep. Greg Delleney, R-Chester. Delleney said Sanford leaving the country without telling staff qualified as “serious misconduct” as required by the S.C. Constitution for impeachment. Harrell’s call for resignation, “really doesn’t have anything to do with impeachment.”

Harrell, in a written statement, declined to discuss possible impeachment.

“Whether he should be removed from office is a question that will need to be answered from the State Ethics Commission investigation,” Harrell wrote, “but our state’s future is too important to have the Governor’s issues overshadow everything we do for the next fifteen months.”

Sanford’s critics in the Senate said Harrell should have asked Sanford to resign weeks ago.

“I wish the Speaker and others had (called for Sanford’s resignation) earlier,” said Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens. “It may have impacted the governor. Now, we’re looking at a situation where he’s dug in his heels.

“I don’t believe there’s anything any of us can say at this point that will impact his thinking.,”

But on the radio Tuesday afternoon, those who spoke with the governor were supportive.

“Free enterprise is everything. It’s everything we’ve got,” said caller Mark. “You’re defending it. You need to stay.”

But others, calling before Sanford arrived at the studio, said the governor should be removed.

Leaving the state with no notice “is absolutely an impeachable offense,” said caller Adrianne. “You can’t run a government without anybody knowing where you are.”

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