Sanford was not hiking but in South America

Governor Sanford’s representative, Joel Sawyer, tells News 2 that the governor will hold a press conference and meet with reporters to answer questions at 2:00 Wednesday afternoon.

The State newspaper in Columbia is reporting that Governor Mark Sanford was actually in Buenos Aires and not hiking on the Appalachian trail as his office told the press and state officials earlier this week.

A reporter met with the Governor in an Atlanta airport when he arrived back in the United States.

According to the Associated Press, Sanford said he was alone on the trip. He declined to give any additional details about what he did other than to say he drove along the coastline.

When The State reporter asked Sanford at the airport why his staff said he was on the Appalachian Trail, Sanford replied, “I don’t know.“

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Lt. Governor Andre Bauer says that he requested a conversation with Governor Sanford, but was denied. Bauer says that he was told that the governor would return Wednesday.

Jenny Sanford told a CNN reporter, Tuesday afternoon, that she still had not spoken to her husband.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Jenny Sanford was still at the family beach house on Sullivan’s Island. News 2 requested an interview with her, but was told that she is not speaking to the press at this point.

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Update from the Governor’s spokeman at 10 a.m. Tuesday:

Governor Sanford’s spokeman Joel Sawyer says the governor called to check in with his Chief of Staff this morning. He said it would be fair to say the governor was taken aback by all of the interest in his trip.

The Governor now says he plans on returning to the office Wednesday.

Tuesday afternoon Sen. John “Jake” Knotts issued the following statement:

“I’m happy to hear that Governor Sanford has finally contacted his office after being missing from the state for five days. While I believe every person deserves a vacation, our constitution gives only one man authority to act in case of an emergency – the Governor of South Carolina. Should the Governor decided to vacation away from South Carolina again, it is my sincere hope that he will take his security detail and keep his cell phone on so that he can be reached in case of a large-scale emergency. If he is not willing to do so, he should turn his gubernatorial authority over to the Lt. Governor.” 

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A representative for Governor Mark Sanford says the governor is hiking the Appalachian trail and taking some time away from the office this week to recharge after the stimulus battle and the last legislative session.  Joel Sawyer also says that before leaving last week, Sanford let staff know his whereabouts and that he’d be difficult to reach. Should any emergencies arise between the times in which he checks in, our staff would obviously be in contact with other state officials as the situation warrants before making any decisions.

Sanford’s wife, Jenny, told the Associated Press her husband has been gone for several days and she doesn’t know where he was, but he was not concerned.  She also told the Associated Press that Sanford did not contact her or their children on Father’s Day.

Governor Sanford is said to be working on projects that fell by the wayside.

According to AP reports,  Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer said he didn’t know where Sanford is but said he had not been put in charge.

News 2 spoke to Republican State Senator John “Jake” Knotts by phone this afternoon. He calls Sanford’s actions irresponsible. Knotts is worried first about Sanford’s safety, but more-so about who was watching the state.

We still are not sure where Sanford was, but authorities and Knotts say a cell phone signal was traced to the Atlanta area.