After the House Judiciary subcommittee chose to censure rather than impeach him, Gov. Mark Sanford held a quickly-scheduled press conference in Charleston, stating:
“In light of the Ad Hoc Committee wrapping up its work today, I would like to make several points. One, I’d like to thank the Committee for its work, and for their deliberate and measured approach throughout the process.
“Two, we agree with the Committee’s dismissal of 32 of the 37 ethics allegations. From the beginning I acknowledged my moral failing, and I apologized repeatedly. But in the same breath I said, as real as that was, what has been suggested with regard to supposedly not watching out for the taxpayer was just not correct; and that if there had been any oversight, it was minor and technical in nature. We are confident that the remaining five allegations will be dismissed just as the 32 were, because we have consistently tried to be true to the taxpayer. This has not changed, and it will not change.
“Three, I want to thank the people of this state for their kindness and grace. I was encouraged repeatedly in traveling across the state over the last several months by countless people telling me to hang in there, and finish strong. The people of South Carolina have given me great strength in this adversity I’ve created for myself, and I want to again thank them for it.
“It’s my intention to finish strong focusing on the economic challenges facing our state – just as we’ve seen with Boeing’s record-setting announcement a month ago, with Crane Company announcing 1,000 new jobs in Barnwell County a couple of weeks ago, or with Red Ventures, where I was earlier today, announcing 1,000 jobs in Lancaster County. I’ll also be focused on real opportunities for reform on the legislative front in making South Carolina more competitive in the global competition for jobs, investment and way of life. We’d ask that people from all corners of the state make their voices heard on this front.”
Ross Garber, the attorney hired by the Office of the Governor to weigh in on the constitutionality of this impeachment proceedings, issued the following:
The Ad Hoc Committee came to the only reasonable conclusion: the facts do not support moving forward in the impeachment process. Governor Sanford and his administration will continue to work on behalf of the citizens of South Carolina.”
- Ross Garber, attorney for the Office of the Governor
