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Mark Sanford:  New Mistress picture and FOI emails

NEW Maria Belen Chapur picture

NEW Governor Sanford’s email obtained through Freedom of Information request Download the file here.

NEW SLED findings after reviewing Governor’s travel records - no wrong doing.  Watch the replay - click here.
Live blog replay - click here .

NEW Mrs. Sanford has just released a new statement ;

NEW The State Newspaper talks to experts who question Governor’s mental health

NEW Tom Davis, State Senator and former Chief of Staff for Sanford issues Statement

NEW 10 SC Republicans are now calling for Sanford to resign including Harvey Peeler of Gaffney, the Republican Majority Leader in the SC Senate.

NEW Governor Sanford admits to more meetings with his Argentine lover.  In a NEW INTERVIEW with the associated press he says they met 7 times.  That includes the first meeting in 2001.  In the year long affair there have been 5 meetings the governor now discloses.  Two of them, multi-night stays in New York.

NEW Cherokee County lawmakers join the chorus of Republcians calling for Sanford to resign according to CNN.

NEW Sanford Must Go website. (picture below from the new site)

NEW Sanford uses Facebook and Twitter to apologize.  Read more here. 
    Twitter Link -  http://twitter.com/marksanford
    Website Link -  http://governorsanford.com/
    Facebook Link -  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mark-Sanford/19875032744

NEW Sanford’s “Maria” contacts the media to correct some things.  Read more here.

And this new EXCLUSIVE Associated Press interview - Sanford says after thinking this weekend he’s staying in office.

NEW The State Newspaper walks you though a play by play of the Governor’s scandal.

The UNEDITED emails click here.

NEW Video of Maria Chapur, the Governor’s reported mistress.  We have not been able to verify the accuracy, but Argentinian TV is showing this clip and identifying the brunette you first see as Governor Sanford’s lover.  I used to live in Chapur’s neighborhood.  Read more about that here.

 

From the Associated Press

(AP) 
    South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford says she discovered her husband’s affair in January when she found a letter to the governor from his mistress.
    Jenny Sanford told The Associated Press on Friday she told him to end the affair and was shocked this week when she found out he’d gone to Argentina to see his mistress.
    She says she believed Gov. Mark Sanford had gone somewhere to work on writing a book.
    Jenny Sanford says she stayed with her husband while their four sons were attending their private school in Columbia. She waited until the school year ended to leave him for their coastal home on Sullivans Island.
    She wept as she displayed her boys’ stellar report cards and said she most worries about how they’re being affected by the scandal. Jenny Sanford says she plans to take them out of the state
for the weekend.

—————

Governor Mark Sanford revealed his nearly week long trip out of the country was to see his mistress in Argentina.  New links this morning, to the reporter who found the adulterous Governor, taxpayer dollars used on trips, the Governor’s emails, and Letterman ripping on Mark Sanford.

Sanford revealed his nearly week long trip to Argentina was to see a woman he’s had an affair with for a year. Read more about it on this link. 

NEW INTERVIEW Jenny Sanford doesn’t care about Mark’s Career, just her boys

NEW VIDEO Sanford going through airport in Columbia SC where he flew to Atlanta to take flight to Argentina.

NEW Possible pictures of Sanford’s mistress Maria Belen Chapur

NEW Mistress Identified in the scandal.  Described by La Nacion, a newspaper in Buenos Aires as a 43 year old beauty who speaks several languages.  More here. 

BREAKING Gov will pay back SC for 2008 Commerce Dept trip to Argentina, admits he met with his mistress

  Columbia, S.C. - June 25, 2009 - Governor Mark Sanford today issued the following statement:
“As noted by the Department of Commerce, I attended a trade mission with the Department of Commerce last June. As the agenda notes, 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.

“However, 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,” Gov. Sanford said.

NEW What the Sanford Scandal did to the newspaper that broke the story - massive trafficNEW The reporter who found the Governor at the airport gives her first person account here. She says he cut her off when she started asking if he was alone in Argentina, and describes him as being nervous.

NEW Governor’s Emails obtained and posted by The State Newspaper.

NEW Letterman ripped on Sanford Wednesday night and called for Sanford’s resignation. More here

NEW LA Times article on “funny” tweets about the Governor here.

NEW Politico now reports some trips taxpayer paid. More here.

NEW Huffington Post reports Sanford called for Bill Clinton to resign over his affair, calling Clinton a “rascal”

Link to paper in English in Argentina

Want to track the Sanford headlines? No better place than here.

See what lawmakers are saying about it on Twitter here .

What You’re Saying to me on Twitter with this link

Below is the live blog You will see comments coming from reporters politicians and viewers as the stunning words came from the Governor’s mouth. Just hit the replay button.

Also below video clips of the Governor’s entire remarks - below the Live Blog Replay. 

Plus vote in our webpoll:  Should he resign?

Here’s is text of the Governor’s remarks:

Columbia, S.C. - June 24, 2009 - Governor Mark Sanford today issued the following statement:

“First and foremost, I apologize to my wife and my four boys. I have made decisions that have hurt and will continue to hurt them, and for that I’m sincerely sorry. Jenny has stood by me through campaign after campaign, through hard time after hard time, and neither she nor the boys deserve this. Please offer them your prayers.

“I apologize to my staff. I misled them about my whereabouts, and as a result the people of South Carolina believed something that wasn’t true. I want to make absolutely clear that over the past two days at no time did anyone on my staff intentionally relay false information to other state officials or the public at large. What they’ve said over the past two days they believed to be true, and I’m sorry to them for putting them in this position.

“I apologize to the people of South Carolina. There are many people out there right now who are hurt, angry and disappointed with me, and rightfully so. Over the time that I have left in office, I’m going to devote my energy to building back the trust the people of this state have placed in me.

“I ask for your forgiveness, and your prayers for everyone who I’ve hurt,” Sanford said.

 

And this from Jenny Sanford

I would like to start by saying I love my husband and I believe I have put forth every effort possible to be the best wife I can be during our almost twenty years of marriage. As well, for the last fifteen years my husband has been fully engaged in public service to the citizens and taxpayers of this state and I have faithfully supported him in those efforts to the best of my ability. I have been and remain proud of his accomplishments and his service to this state.

I personally believe that the greatest legacy I will leave behind in this world is not the job I held on Wall Street, or the campaigns I managed for Mark, or the work I have done as First Lady or even the philanthropic activities in which I have been routinely engaged. Instead, the greatest legacy I will leave in this world is the character of the children I, or we, leave behind. It is for that reason that I deeply regret the recent actions of my husband Mark, and their potential damage to our children.

I believe wholeheartedly in the sanctity, dignity and importance of the institution of marriage. I believe that has been consistently reflected in my actions. When I found out about my husband’s infidelity I worked immediately to first seek reconciliation through forgiveness, and then to work diligently to repair our marriage. We reached a point where I felt it was important to look my sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect, and my basic sense of right and wrong. I therefore asked my husband to leave two weeks ago.

This trial separation was agreed to with the goal of ultimately strengthening our marriage. During this short separation it was agreed that Mark would not contact us. I kept this separation quiet out of respect of his public office and reputation, and in hopes of keeping our children from just this type of public exposure. Because of this separation, I did not know where he was in the past week.

I believe enduring love is primarily a commitment and an act of will, and for a marriage to be successful, that commitment must be reciprocal. I believe Mark has earned a chance to resurrect our marriage.

Psalm 127 states that sons are a gift from the Lord and children a reward from Him. I will continue to pour my energy into raising our sons to be honorable young men. I remain willing to forgive Mark completely for his indiscretions and to welcome him back, in time, if he continues to work toward reconciliation with a true spirit of humility and repentance.

This is a very painful time for us and I would humbly request now that members of the media respect the privacy of my boys and me as we struggle together to continue on with our lives and as I seek the wisdom of Solomon, the strength and patience of Job and the grace of God in helping to heal my family.

Part 1 of News Conference

Part 2 of News Conference