Sanford impeachment resolution likely next week

State lawmakers will be going back to Columbia next Tuesday to change a law so unemployed workers in the state can receive 7 more weeks of extended unemployment benefits. While they’re back in session, Rep. Greg Delleney, R-Chester, says he’ll introduce a resolution to begin impeachment proceedings against Gov. Mark Sanford. However, it’s unlikely that lawmakers will take any action on that resolution next week.

“What I expect to happen is the resolution is filed. Once it’s filed it would be referred to committee. And then from there it would be referred to a subcommittee. At that point, we can begin doing the investigation to build a case for impeachment and, when we come back in January, or if we should happen to come back before January, all the heavy lifting would be done,“ Delleney told News Channel 7.

House leaders say they want to wait until a State Ethics Commission investigation into the governor is finished before they take any action. Delleney says the resolution can be amended along the way to include any new information brought out by the Ethics Commission’s investigation.

He says the reason he’s going to file the resolution is that he thinks Sanford’s disappearance in June, followed by his admission of an affair, rises to the level of “serious misconduct”, one of the requirements for impeachment. He says the governor brought shame and disgrace on the state and the office of governor.

When asked about the possible impeachment resolution being introduced next week, Gov. Sanford said, “People are going to do whatever they’re going to do. What we’re focused on is what we’re focused on right here today, which is, how do we do a better job of, again, connecting work force opportunities to people in need of work in South Carolina?“ Sanford hosted an unemployment round-table discussion with lawmakers, business leaders and the Employment Security Commission Tuesday morning.

Rep. Rex Rice, R-Easley, was at the unemployment meeting and said afterward, “I don’t think we need to deal with impeachment next week. I think that, if there’s an impeachment bill that comes up, then I think it needs to go to committee and be left alone. I think the governor’s moving forward right now. He’s trying to deal with our unemployment issues right now in the state. That’s what needs to be dealt with.“

The legislature’s return to Columbia isn’t technically a “special session”, since the rules under which they adjourned in June allow them to come back to deal with issues like the extended unemployment benefits. Because it’s not a special session, lawmakers will not receive any additional salary. However they will get paid mileage for one round-trip and their daily subsistence pay. The total for taxpayers will be around $60,500.