Sanford Flew First Class On State's Budget And Lied About It: AP Investigation

[mod mom]

Mark Sanford: "Frugal" Gov Flew First Class On State's Budget And Lied About It: AP Investigation

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford shed his fiscal conservatism on several taxpayer-funded international trips, including a South American jaunt that included time with his mistress, choosing expensive first-class or business-class seats while his aides sat in coach.

Sanford, who once criticized other state officials for costly travel, charged the state more than $37,600 for one first-class and four business-class flights overseas since November 2005, expense records show. Other state employees flew in the back of the plane at a fraction of the price, according to the documents.

The Republican governor, who balked at taking federal stimulus money after arguing it was an unwise use of taxpayer funds, charged the state $8,687 for a Delta Airlines trip to Brazil last year that included a leg in business class, state expense records show.

That trip ended with the governor's now well-publicized visit to his Argentine mistress, Maria Belen Chapur, and marked what he says was the start of a nearly year-long sexual affair with the woman he's called his "soul mate."

Other state employees spent less than $2,000 each on economy seats for the Brazil flight, according to the records, released by two state agencies under South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act.

-snip

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/17/mark-sanford-frugal-gov-f_n_237336.html

THIS SOUNDS FAIR TO ME, I MEAN THE FELLOWSHIP'S "CHOSEN" SHOULDN'T BE TREATED LIKE THE REST OF US-RIGHT :sarcasm:

[havocmom]

1. meh, when you break vows of fidelity while building a career on 'family values'

lying about airline tickets is easy.

[sweetpotato]

2. And yet - the state university's budget is getting cut once again

Shame on you Mark Sanford.

[Jeep789]

3. Personal and fiscal responsibility are

just for us peons.

[Zen Democrat]

4. Your title says "Stanford" instead of "Sanford" -- n/t

[mod mom]

5. my bad-corrected.

:blush: need more coffee!

[madrchsod]

6. south carolina has the highest unemployment rate in the south

and for the population the highest in the nation. why is`t this guy being tar and feathered?

[formercia]

7. Laws are for 'little people.'

" If God didn't want me to fly First Class, HE would have told me so."

[BR_Parkway]

16. Too many in the Corporate Christian class think God is spelled "Gold"

Jesus puked.

[bullwinkle428]

8. I thought the S.C. state police completed their investigation weeks ago

and declared "Show's over - nothing to see here, folks! Move along!"

Of course, I was COMPLETELY confident that the investigation was as thorough as it could be! :sarcasm:

[City Lights]

9. What a stand-up guy!

:sarcasm:

[Hepburn]

10. Ya think there is an opening at the C-street house for him?

Just curious....

[mod mom]

12. USNews: Sanford Cites Secretive Christian Group's Role in Helping Confront Affair

Already there:


Sanford Cites Secretive Christian Group's Role in Helping Confront Affair
June 24, 2009 05:45 PM ET | Dan Gilgoff

By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country

Mark Sanford's news conference today was unusual for lot of reasons, but here's a less obvious one: The South Carolina governor referred to "C Street," a Washington dormitory for lawmakers funded by a highly secretive Christian organization called the Fellowship. (The Fellowship is the group behind the National Prayer Breakfast, where President Obama rolled out his Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships earlier this year.)

It's rare for elected officials to publicly allude to C Street or to anything affiliated with the Fellowship. But here's the exchange between Sanford and a reporter:

QUESTION: Did your wife and your family know about the affair before the trip to Argentina?

SANFORD: Yes. We've been working through this thing for about the last five months. I've been to a lot of different—as part of what we called "C Street" when I was in Washington. It was, believe it or not, a Christian Bible study—some folks that asked members of Congress hard questions that I think were very, very important. And I've been working with them. I see Cubby Culbertson in the back of the room. I would consider him a spiritual giant. . . .

The Associated Press wrote about the Fellowship in 2003. Interesting to note that Sen. John Ensign, who admitted to an extramarital affair, is also closely affiliated with the group and is a resident of C Street:

Six members of Congress live in a $1.1 million Capitol Hill town house that is subsidized by a secretive religious organization, tax records show.

-snip
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/god-and-country/2009/06/24/sanford-cites-secretive-christian-groups-role-in-helping-confront-affair.html

[dgibby]

18. He's already connected to C street.

When he gave his first news conference after coming back from Argentina, he mentioned his "counslors" at C St. That's what blew the lid off C St and got Rachel digging into it.

[saltpoint]

11. The Governor has been a naughty lad.

We're gonna have to call his folks.

[Sedona]

13. My hubby sat next to Janet Napolitano on a flight once.....

when she was Arizona Governor........in Coach!

[Are_grits_groceries]

14. He's still in office because

the Lt Governor, Andre Closeted Bauer, has already shown himself to be a complete ass and crazier than a shithouse mouse. Every time somebody starts to give Sanford a real thumpin', they suddenly see Bauer in office. It causes them to gag. He is running for governor, and nobody wants to give him a headstart on the job.

[FarCenter]

15. A Governor would usually bring a businessman friend on a junket

The businessman would fly first-class or business-class, charging the ticket to his company as business travel.

This means that the Governor has to uphold the dignity of his office by also sitting in the front of the plane.

Their various subordinates would sit in the back. Except, as noted, the Commerce Secretary may get to sit in front to hobnob with the important fellow travelers.

[Mrs. Overall]

17. I'm shocked to see "AP" and "Investigation" in the same sentence.

[Wednesdays]

19. K&R

:kick: