SANFORD RETURNS TO COLUMBIA, RETURNS TO BUSINESS

Speaking to his cabinet Friday afternoon, Gov. Mark Sanford made himself perfectly clear: He was sorry for what he had done and was looking to move on.

Sanford, who disappeared to Argentina for five days and Wednesday admitted to an affair with a woman from there, apologized to the agency chiefs but did not address calls for his resignation.

Earlier in the day, Sanford told reporters he had no plans to resign at the time.

And that decision largely reflects the feelings of South Carolina Republicans.

The Palmetto Scoop spoke with more than a dozen prominent members of the State GOP executive committee who asked to remain anonymous. Only one said Sanford should resign, the rest were either undecided or thought he should stay in office.

The cabinet meeting was a big step forward, said former Lt. Gov. candidate Mike Campbell.

“How much [this controversy] has affected his ability to governor and to lead the state, that remains to be seen,” said Campbell. “But I don’t think we need to take the drastic action just yet of having him resign.”

Sanford also began making amens with the people of South Carolina by announcing Thursday that he would reimburse the state for a June 2008 trip to Argentina — despite, according to Sanford, the fact that “the mission was spent meeting with government and private business officials in both Brazil and Argentina. This trip was handled very professionally by the Department of Commerce, and I’m proud of their work there.”

Added Sanford, “While the purpose of this trip was an entirely professional and appropriate business development trip, I made a mistake while I was there in meeting with the woman who I was unfaithful to my wife with. That has raised some very legitimate concerns and questions, and as such I am going to reimburse the state for the full cost of the Argentina leg of this trip.”

There are, however, some within the Republican Party looking to push Sanford out of office.

State Sen. Jake Knotts (R-Lexington) said he was calling for a formal State Law Enforcement Division investigation of Sanford and that he was encouraging the governor to consider resigning.

“I am not asking for his resignation at this point, but I am in the fast lane to make that decision,” Knotts said at a press conference Friday. “The governor has been very, very vocal on transparency, but it seeme to be there’s only transparency when it’s transparency of someone else.”