South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, whose tryst with an Argentine lover blossomed into a wide-ranging scandal, is accused of breaking ethics laws by using taxpayer money for pricey airline seats, taking state planes for personal and political trips and occasionally tapping his campaign chest to reimburse himself for travel.
The details of charges against the second-term Republican governor were released yesterday. He has been under scrutiny since he vanished for five days over the summer, reappearing to tearfully admit to an extramarital affair with a woman he later called his "soul mate."
The civil charges, which carry a maximum $74,000 in fines, stem from a three-month investigation by the State Ethics Commission and could be pivotal in a push by some legislators to remove him from office. The state attorney general is deciding whether the governor would face any criminal charges.
The ethics charges include 18 instances in which Sanford is accused of improperly buying first- and business-class airline tickets, violating state law requiring lowest-cost travel; nine times of improperly using state-owned aircraft for travel to political and personal events, including a stop at a discount hair salon; and 10 times he improperly reimbursed himself with campaign cash.
The travel allegations were found in a series of Associated Press investigations. Some of the allegations about his use of campaign funds were revealed by The State newspaper in Columbia.
Sanford's attorney characterized the allegations levied by the panel as "technical questions."
"We are confident that we will be able to address each of these questions, none of which constitutes findings of guilt and none of which we believe rise anywhere near to the traditional standard of impeachment," attorney Butch Bowers said.
Each of the counts claims that Sanford used his office for personal financial gain and carries a maximum $2,000 fine if he is found guilty.
Sanford's attorneys have said they look forward to defending against the charges when the ethics panel holds a hearing on them early next year. They confirmed that Sanford -- as the state investigation was being conducted -- added disclosures of his private plane flights to his ethics forms.
Among the mistakes the ethics commission says the governor made were his:
□ Approval of the purchase of four first- and business-class airline tickets for a June 2008 trip during which he met with his mistress in Argentina.
□ Personal use of state-owned aircraft for trips such as the birthday party of a campaign contributor in Aiken, and flying from Myrtle Beach to Columbia for a "personal event," including a haircut.
□ Reimbursing himself nearly $3,000 using campaign contributions, including about $900 for expenses to attend a Republican Governors Association meeting in Miami and a hunting trip in Dublin, Ireland, several days later.
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