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GOVERNOR’S OFFICE’S STORIES DON’T ADD UP
When Mark Sanford’s press office was finally able to confirm last night that the missing governor was hiking the Appalachian Trail, the first reaction of most was to be thankful that he was safe.
But after that, folks in South Carolina and beyond began asking a whole lot of questions.
Most importantly, what would happen if there was an emergency? Who would be in charge?
Now, I don’t personally care so much about the fact that Sanford left his wife and kids on Father’s Day without telling them where he was going — that’s his business.
But what is concerning is the fact that he took off without putting any protocol in place to run his office.
Sure, everyone deserves a vacation every now and then. But to not tell anyone where he was going while offering no way to get in touch with him is completely irresponsible — especially when he oversees an entire state.
Almost two months ago to the day, nearly half of Myrtle Beach burned to the ground during a two-day wildfire. Sanford was forced to declare a state of emergency and set in place the proper procedure for putting out that fire. He and only he had the power to do that.
What would have happened if that fire had started over the weekend when Sanford could not be reached? Or what if there had been a hurricane?
Beyond that, we are a state facing the third-highest unemployment in the country. Now is hardly the time to go on vacation.
But there are other questions, too.
Why did Jenny Sanford say her husband was off “writing” when he was in fact hiking? Why did she first say she didn’t know where he was and then said he did know where he was?
Why did the lieutenant governor’s office say Sanford’s Chief of Staff knew where he was but when Andre Bauer returned to Columbia, he couldn’t get him on the phone?
Why did the GPS trace on his cell phone ping to Atlanta when the Appalachian Trail starts more than 150 miles north of there?
And why is the governor’s press shop — which is usually one of the best in the country at quickly responding — offer conflicting statement after conflicting statement?
We may never know the answers to these questions.
But the bottom line is that nothing adds up. There is something larger at play here.
It doesn’t take a stealthy investigator to figure that out. And I guarantee that if they had concocted this story in front of a grand jury, they would have all been indicted.
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UPDATE: I will be appearing on CNN at 3:30 p.m. today to discuss the Sanford disappearance. Y’all be sure to watch!
I’ll try my best to offer answers to your questions.
False. Article IV, Section 11 of the S.C. Constitution states “in the event of the temporary absence of the Governor from the State, the Lieutenant Governor shall have full authority to act in an emergency.”
This is nonsensical. Not only does one not preclude the other (i.e., just because he’s hiking doesn’t mean he’s not writing), in fact many writers are most productive when they’re in the seclusion of nature. I suppose Thoreau couldn’t have been “writing” becuase he was “camping” at Walden.
Please direct me to the quote where she said she knew where he was.
Knowing where someone is doesn’t mean they are immediately reachable by phone. The governor’s office knew (a) where he was and (b) that it would be difficult to get in touch with him.
The Appalachian Trail starts in Amicalola, GA. A quick Google Maps direction search from Columbia, SC to Amicalola, GA plots a route that skims the perimeter of Atlanta. A mobile telephone tower “near Atlanta” is the last place a signal was received from his cell phone.
You have not offered up a single example of conflicting statements, much less a multitude. Please do if you’d like to actually discuss them.
Saw you on CNN. Just wondering when that fire that “destroyed half of Myrtle Beach” occurred. If you are referring to the forest fire that did burn some homes, I sure am glad the Governor was around then to direct those firefighters. Never heard of you or your site before and shall forget it after I finish this comment.
This is all about Andre Bauer putting the knife in Sanford’s back. He hates Sanford (envy?) and when he saw his chance, he took it.
But voters in the GOP primary like Sanford. They may remember this day for a long time. Hopefully, Bauer is enjoying the national attention but perhaps he should remember that those outside SC do not vote here.
Perhaps this fun will turn out to be another example of a boy politican making yet another bad choice.
What dad would be away from his small sons on Father’s Day for such nonsense as this? This is Governor Moonbeam. The Jerry Brown or Jesse Ventura of South Carolina.
Short answer: dude’s crazy. http://www.indigojournal.com/diary/917/should-sanford-step-aside
Daniel Layfield showed your sophistry for what it was — poorly written, self-contradictory and nonsensical. Given this material, this is all the Quinn’s have to serve-up?
Oh, and by the way, for all you Sanford defenders beating on Adam. When that Myrtle Beach fire started, it took Sanford days to get there because he was off on another undisclosed trip:
http://www.indigojournal.com/diary/741/where-was-sanford
So now Sanford is responsible for everything that goes wrong? Fires in MB? What next…hangnails in Spburg?
I suspect this is Bauer trying to change the subject from his “outting” by Linda K. That had to hurt.
Lets move on.
The governor quickly issued the executive order in the case of the MB fires. Tim, you don’t have to be sitting behind the desk in the governor’s office to: 1) receive information; or 2) act on received information.
The governor also flew back from Estonia in less than 12 hours to deliver the memorial speech for the Charleston firefighters — a speech that reminded many of Reagan’s (Peggy Noonan-written) after the shuttle exploded.
PS…I suspect he had something to do with the DC train wreck. Or maybe he is coverniong for Jenny. Yea, thats it.
Senator John Knotts said:
“I found out that he was taking frequent trips at odd times of the night in a SLED car with no security,” Knotts said. “He would be driving. I got wind that he had taken another one of these types of capers last Thursday, and that nobody knew who he was with.”
http://flisted.com/79592/south-carolina-governor-mark-sanfords-bogus-journey/
People need to listen to my story. I try to tell it as much as possible.
SOUTH CAROLINA IS SITTING NEATLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FINANCIAL CRISIS>
It makes sense Marky Mark took a trip when you KNOW MY STORY
Adam….what a hack job! I’ll add this site to my list of “Trash Sites”. Why is it that so many people in SC are opposed to Mark Sanford? Could it be jealousy? This Jake Knotts guy and your Lt. Governor sound like little boys that are tattletails…..”Look Mommy, Mark isn’t sitting in the corner like you told him to”. You South Carolinians finally get a governor who has some real principles…someone you can be proud of, and the nut jobs down there jump all over him! What a joke! (posting by a true Reaganite, in Raleigh, NC)
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