S.C. lawmakers vote against impeachment of governor

2009-12-10 05:22:58 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Law, News)

South Carolina lawmakers vote against the impeachment of governor Mark Sanford.

Lawmakers recommend a formal reprimand of the governor instead.

Columbia, South Carolina (WiredPRNews.com) – Lawmakers in South Carolina voted against the impeachment of Governor Mark Sanford Wednesday, months after his admission to a long-term affair for which he used taxpayer funds for personal trips to Argentina to see his mistress. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), a seven-person legislative panel called for formal reprimand of the governor for his actions, but cited the misconduct as not being serious enough for impeachment.

Rep. James Harrison is quoted by the AP as stating of the matter, “We can’t impeach for hypocrisy. We can’t impeach for arrogance. We can’t impeach an officeholder for his lack of leadership skills.”

As noted in the report, a majority of the panel did express the belief that the Sanford should resign. His term will end in January 2011.

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Photo Credit: Wikipedia User South Carolina Governor’s Office