In spite of making a mockery of his party, Mark Sanford is hoping his fellow Republicans will turn their heads rather than do what they are obligated to do - investigate how the governor abused the public trust by using official resources to conduct and cover up an affair. The Governor went to great lengths to cover up his conduct. His fellow Republicans should not now be accomplices to Sanford's abuse of power. After all, they are supposed to represent stewardship of tax dollars. But Attorney General Henry McMaster, who wants to be our next governor, has said he will not conduct an investigation. Perhaps Mr. McMaster fears retribution from Republicans who still support Sanford. This shows a lack of responsibility to the public and makes him no better than a governor who puts his political aspirations before his state. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has also said that it will not investigate Governor Sanford. Chief Reggie Lloyd has shown himself to be independent, professional, and responsible, but he is after all a member of the Governor's Cabinet. So SLED is probably not the appropriate agency to look at Sanford's irresponsible behavior anyway. It becomes obvious that the body with the independence, power, resources, and responsibility to investigate Mark Sanford's aberrant, anomalous behavior is the SC General Assembly, even though it, too, is controlled by Mr. Sanford’s fellow Republicans. For these reasons, I call upon the Republican leadership of the General Assembly, Speaker Bobby Harrell and Senate President Pro Tem Glen McConnell, to appoint a special bipartisan House and Senate Committee to conduct a thorough, objective, and complete investigation of the whole sordid affair that Mark Sanford has inflicted on South Carolina and its people. Mark Sanford deceived us-- the only way now for South Carolinians to feel confident they are being told the truth is for the General Assembly to pursue every recourse under the law to get at that truth. |
