Gov. Mark Sanford says he is publicly apologizing for letting down South Carolinians after admitting he was having an affair during a press conference at the statehouse in Columbia Wednesday.
Apologizing to his wife, sons and all of South Carolina, Sanford says he has engaged in a relationship with a "dear friend" from Argentina.
Sanford confessed the relationship between him and the unidentified woman began very innocently through emails, and says over the past year developed into much more than a simple friendship. Since the development of the relationship, Sanford says he has seen the woman three times.
"I hurt you all, I hurt my wife, I hurt my boys," said Sanford, with tears in his eyes. "All I can say is ‘I apologize.’"
Sanford says his family has been struggling with his unfaithfulness for the last five months, noting his wife, Jenny Sanford, and sons knew about his trip to Argentina before he left the country.
"I’ve spent the last five days crying in Argentina," said Sanford.
Despite his unfaithfulness, Sanford stands by his relationship with his wife, saying they are not "formally separate," but are rather trying to "work through something."
Sanford also noted during the Wednesday’s press conference he will be stepping down as the chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association.
I tweeted all his comments live at www.twitter.com/hipplepatel and they are included below:
His term in office ends in about 1 year
Sanford said didn’t know why his staff said he was in Appalachian Trail but "in fairness to his staff" he had told them he might do that.
@shelbyholliday Palestra.net story for Gnarly News..seems like a good idea.
SC Gov Sanford: about a year ago it sparked from friendship to something greater… went into serious overdrive.
FNC @TraceGallagher: i don’t think we would get this infromation about him from the presser
@NorahODonnell Agreed.
@RussertXM_NBC That’s exactly what I tweeted. I tweeted througout the presser, check out my page!
He is not resigning as the GOV of sc.
One of the craziest pressers ever
SANFORD: I told my staff where I thought I was going to
SANFORD: This was a selfish act on my part
Q: Have you asked any employees to cover this up for you? Gov: No, no.
SANFORD: said hey to his employees I may be going to Argentina
SC Gov says he traveled to Argentina to meet with other women
The tom davis’s of the world, what is that?
SANFORD: THe relationship sparked into something more than a friendship
SANFORD: I have seen her three times since then and the relationship became more serious a year ago
SANFORD: We developed a remarkable friendship over those 8 years
get together with her husband for her two boys, and at the end of it, can I have your email and I have this issue, and vice versa
SANFORD: and their is a certain irony to this, this person was separted at the time and I got into a conversation and why she should
SANFORD: I met this person little over years ago, very innocently, and struck up an conversation, and what i did was wrong—period.
He is shedding tears
SANFORD: not separted in a formal sense from my wife
THIS IS BREAKING THEREFORE I AM USING AN CAPITAL LETTERS
SOUTH CAROLINA GOV MARK SANFORD ADMITS TO HAVING AN AFFAIR
SANFORD TO RESIGN POST AS CHAIR OF REPUBLICAN GOV’S ASSOCATION
He is getting very emotional
SANFORD: Relationship began innocetnyl in a casual email
SANFORD: I developed a relationship with a friend in argentina.
Well the bottom line is he had been "chatting" with a women from Argentina which started with an casual email
SANFORD: I have been unfaithful to my wife