JUSTICES ORDER DOCUMENTS BE MADE PUBLIC IMMEDIATELY

For the second time in as many months, the South Carolina Supreme Court has issued a ruling regarding access to an ethics investigation of Gov. Mark Sanford.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court said it used “unmistakably unambiguous language” in its previous ruling and that all documents given to Sanford by the commission are public documents.

The high court ruled on Nov. 5 that the State Ethics Commission’s report should be made public when it is completed. “The governor’s Aug. 28 letter constituted a complete waiver of his right to confidentiality and that “Sanford’s waiver… reaches all documentation to which he is entitled,” the justices wrote.

But both the commission and House Speaker Bobby Harrell asked that the ruling be clarified.

The justices said the commission’s position that it must hold a hearing before releasing any documentation relating to its investigation was “based on a flawed interpretation of this Court’s opinion.”

Instead, the court said, the commission must “immediately make public all documents provided to the governor during the course of its investigation.”

The commission said on Nov. 23 that they had found 37 instances in which the disgraced governor broke state law involving Sanford’s receipt of upgraded business class tickets, campaign reimbursements totaling less than $3,000, and misusing state aircraft.

Harrell said he was pleased with the court’s clarification.

“Transparency and accountability in a matter this serious is crucial,” he said in a statement. “Governor Sanford promised early on in this process to provide South Carolinians that transparency, which is why his complete reversal on that promise was so disturbing. Governor Sanford is sending a horrible message to the public when he claims to be a champion of transparency, except when it applies to his office. After ruling for a second time that the all the documents he possesses are public, we sincerely hope Governor Sanford will finally comply with these court orders.”

State lawmakers are considering an impeachment resolution to remove Sanford from office stemming from his five-day disappearance and admission of an extramarital affair in June. Lawmakers contend the investigation is germane to the impeachment proceedings, but Sanford maintains that the ethics report would be used for political purposes.