Gov. Sanford waives confidentiality in ethics probe

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Gov. Mark Sanford said today he would waive confidentiality in the Ethics Commission’s probe of his use of state funds and personnel. As well, he called for the General Assembly to make public any investigations into its members.

Staff Report
Published Aug. 28, 2009

Gov. Mark Sanford said today he would waive confidentiality in the Ethics Commission’s probe of his use of state funds and personnel.

“Our administration has nothing to hide,” Sanford said during a news conference in Conway. “We would welcome the public to scrutinize our record, just as the Ethics Commission will do.”

Sanford has come under fire after admitting in June to an extramarital affair with an Argentine woman. The Associated Press has since looked into his travel history, which has raised questions of whether the governor broke the law by traveling business class instead of coach and whether he used state employees improperly.

During his statements today, he also called for the General Assembly to make public any investigations into its members.

“It’s also important to note that transparency should apply to all levels of state government. Ethics investigations involving members of the General Assembly are conducted entirely by the members of the General Assembly themselves, not by an outside Ethics Commission,” he said.

Investigations are currently done entirely in secret.

Sanford said he would welcome allowing state taxpayers to see what his administration has done with tax dollars. Additionally, he said, “I would urge the members of the General Assembly to join this effort at greater transparency and agree to open up all future ethics matters relating to the conduct of members of the House and Senate.”

On Thursday, Sanford was in Greenville arguing his case that he hasn’t done anything that other governors hadn’t.

“I’d like to emphasize that over the last several days we’ve provided documentation supporting this administration’s strong record in defending the taxpayer and in staying true to both the intent and letter of the law with regard to travel,” Sanford said. “What all this shows are the ways our administration stacks up quite favorably against previous administrations over the last 20 years when it comes to looking out for the taxpayer.”

He said his administration has advocated for transparency in government, which has included:

• Signing a campaign finance reform bill in 2003.
• Ending the legislative process of “pass-throughs” in 2004 that disguised where tax dollars went.
• Working with the comptroller general on an online spending disclosure system for state agencies.
• Calling for on-the-record voting so that constituents could see how their representatives in Columbia were voting.

“In the continued spirit of a fair and transparent process, I am today announcing that I’ll be waiving confidentiality as the Ethics Commission studies some of the allegations made in the press and by political detractors,” he said.