July 3, 2009
Posted: July 3rd, 2009 01:02 PM ET

From
‘Gov. Mark Sanford will spend the July 4 holiday in Florida with his family.
‘Gov. Mark Sanford will spend the July 4 holiday in Florida with his family.

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) - Gov. Mark Sanford has left the governor's mansion and is on his way to visit his family in Florida, his office said Friday.

Sanford departed the mansion, where he has spent much of the last 48 hours, in the passenger seat of a state vehicle.

Sanford will spend the holiday weekend with his wife and their four boys.

"The Sanford family asks members of the media to respect their privacy while they are together this weekend," his spokesman said in a statement yesterday. "The Sanford's also hope to take a longer family vacation toward the end of July."

The trip marks the first time Sanford has spent time with his wife since he revealed to the Associated Press that his mistress is a "soul mate" and that he had "crossed lines" with other women.

Jenny Sanford released a statement Thursday calling Sanford's actions "inexcusable," but she left the door open to reconciling with her husband.

"The real issue now is one of forgiveness," she said in a statement. "I am willing to forgive Mark for his actions."

Filed under: Mark Sanford • South Carolina


Patrick, Lake Stevens, Washington   July 3rd, 2009 5:29 pm ET

Hope he does not get lost, sidetracked, or decides to take the scenic route!

SandraWI   July 3rd, 2009 4:59 pm ET

You might want to put a low jack on him to make sure he's where he says he is.

Darth Vadik, CA   July 3rd, 2009 4:57 pm ET

Great, that is the excuse, where is he really going?

Denna   July 3rd, 2009 4:04 pm ET

Frankly I think he should have gone back to Argentina. I'm guessing that Maria will be warmer and more loving than Jenny is. I'm willing to bet that this woman is going to clothe herself as a martyr and whine continuously. She needs to take a clue from Hillary Clinton. Now there is a woman who kept a stiff upper lip during Bill's naughty experience. Jenny should now just tell reporters that she is working on her personal life and that she would have no further comment. In other words, shut up before you lose sympathy.

Pragmatic   July 3rd, 2009 4:02 pm ET

Wow! 48 hours and he's ready for another vacation and another woman! Wonder if his kids still have the Father's Day cards they made him ... since he wasn't in the country for the actual holiday.

B.H.   July 3rd, 2009 3:39 pm ET

Just keep heading south and stay there!

david   July 3rd, 2009 3:28 pm ET

sanford is probably going by way of argentina so he can see his lovely maria. jenny is such a fool.

concerned citizen   July 3rd, 2009 3:25 pm ET

There it goes another episode of the days of the life of our beloved SC .governor. After becoming an embarrasment to himself, his family and of course to the much discredited GOP he goes to Florida to spend time with his family and trying to be in love again with his wife after leaving his soul mate. We the citizens hope he can go on with his life, but still he must resign and let someone with the ability to lead to run the affairs of the state

Perusing-Through   July 3rd, 2009 2:54 pm ET

After a week of crying, slobbering, and obsessing over mistress Maria, , , now Sanford want to fake like he is interested in his wife Jenny? What a hypocrite!

Accountability   July 3rd, 2009 2:50 pm ET

Sanford need to be accountable for abandoning the state. He needs to resign.

Gwats   July 3rd, 2009 2:43 pm ET

Respect his privacy? Are you kidding me? He abused his right to privacy by having a torrid affair and using State money to fund it! He should be followed around like a bloodhound till he leaves office!

People's Voice   July 3rd, 2009 2:36 pm ET

Hey Martk old boy. Just how much privacy did you give Bill Clinton. Oh that's right. You gave him none. Don't expect to get any either, you dolt.

PhillyCat   July 3rd, 2009 2:36 pm ET

That marriage is doomed. He admitted to the world that his "soul mate" was another woman. I love his wife's "grit," but she needs to get a grip and throw Mr. Righteous out on his rear end.

Oh yes, the people of SC really should kick his can to the curb. He's a liar, a cheat, thief, adulterer and lastly, a HYPOCRITE!

north carolina   July 3rd, 2009 2:24 pm ET

maybe i didn't get a good look at the mistress; but she appeared to be the spitting image of his wife.

Jeff, Huntington Beach, CA   July 3rd, 2009 2:14 pm ET

As the Republicans most recently said, contradicting a prior statement from them a few days before about his private life being private, if he worked things out with his wife, they would be more apt to support him staying on as Governor.

As usual with the GOP... the "higher values," "moral," God Bless Us crowd, hypocrisy is the order of the day.

Anybody who supports those who put themselves up on a moral, "righteous" pedestal because of their self described "superior values" while contradicting what comes out of their mouths with their actions are fools and will be the death of the America that once was. Unfortunately, they will not be the ones to suffer because they ALWAYS make sure to look out for themselves and their kind with their "God's will."

Andrea   July 3rd, 2009 2:13 pm ET

Glad I'm not him, or his family. Money can't buy happiness. What a total imbecile is Mark Sanford.

Nothing 'Stand Up' about Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)   July 3rd, 2009 2:10 pm ET

Gov. Mark Sanford has asked for privacy and the ability to travel outside SC without being observed by the media, eh? Could that be because he's off to visit another one of his women and hopes that this time he won't get caught? Well, he's in love. It's a forbidden love. It's tragic. So maybe we should all cut him some slack...

Shingo   July 3rd, 2009 1:50 pm ET

While I understand the wife and boys sentiment of: "The Sanford family asks members of the media to respect their privacy while they are together this weekend," Mrs Sanford accepted her husband was a public figure. In addition, the privacy issue and what Gov Sanford is doing is the whole issue. Therefore, the family lost that right when Gov Sanford abused his power as a political figure.

Chipster   July 3rd, 2009 1:44 pm ET

Willing to forgive him? Maybe, but right now the sound of her voice and the look in her eyes suggests willingness to punish him for the rest of his life. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it, especially given his harsh judgment of others who have betrayed their spouses, but Mrs. Sanford should take a little more time before she reconciles.

Forgiving is not the same as forgetting.

carlos   July 3rd, 2009 1:36 pm ET

is he taking his passport with him? did 6 times....will do it again and again.....

Texas Pioneer   July 3rd, 2009 1:33 pm ET

The gift that keeps on giving.

Please stay in office.
Obama is not that funny and the comedians need a target.

James Griffin   July 3rd, 2009 1:32 pm ET

What a boob.

RUTY   July 3rd, 2009 1:32 pm ET

Why hasen't Rush Limbaugh had anything to say about this? Something smelly fishy!!!!!! The loud mouth can't think of something good to say about this so he keeps quiet?

I think he is related to Blago   July 3rd, 2009 1:31 pm ET

keep it coming, but you are better at sound bites and message than Palin

Gracie   July 3rd, 2009 1:29 pm ET

How do we know that's where he's really going?

RUTY   July 3rd, 2009 1:29 pm ET

He has shown signs of GREAt weakness in his character lately. Now Mrs. Sanford is showing a GREAT weakness in tolerating his "red neck" behavior. What a pathetic thing to happen to the great state of S.C.

Joyce Becker   July 3rd, 2009 1:26 pm ET

This is not news, I couldn't care what the Gov. does on his vacation. He and his family and sex life are no concern of mine and I am sure glad I don't live in SC.

NYNURSE   July 3rd, 2009 1:25 pm ET

OMG-let's end this farce now! A large percentage of our population has "cheated" on our S.O. Leave the man alone. Get back the state money he used for "affair travel" and end this. How many of you CNN people are without any sin? How many other politicians can say they have never wandered? Give me a break. Ted Kennedy's affair turned into a mysterious drowning and how long has he been a Senator?

JR   July 3rd, 2009 1:24 pm ET

This woman would need to be a "saint" to forgive her husband after publicly declaring his "devotion" to his "soul mate" mistress or maybe she just waiting for the opportunity to stick a knife into the bastard. I'd let her off, wouldn't you?

toohip   July 3rd, 2009 1:24 pm ET

Sanford is a creep, without any perspective on how he may be viewed, and, his most recent skin crawling disclosures show a narcistic side. I've always thought affairs were personal, between spouses, etc. But, Sanford, who is intent on stating over and over "I did have sex with that woman" -and who was a key figure in trying to bring down Clinton–deserves to be ousted for hypocrisy and incredibly poor judgement. And for all you GOP fans out there, as Jon Stewart recently stated--here's another Republican with conservative values and a liberal penis!

Steve from TN   July 3rd, 2009 1:20 pm ET

these 2 wall streeters deserve one another. corupt to the bone with only self interest at play. i bet they worship reagan since they fit the mold so well: trivally moral , family cheapening, God cheapening, sanctimonious. this guy is a loser and she is close behind. forgiveness? how about just let's forget.

SaintGenesius   July 3rd, 2009 1:19 pm ET

So, um, what's the difference between "inexcusable" and "unforgivable?"

I respected Jenny Sanford until her idiotic rant about god and Desmond Tutu and other nonsense. Now she seems more like a political pro who is trying to curry as much as she can from the situation.

She went from hero to zero as far as I am concerned. On a positive note, Mark and Jenny Sanford deserve each other.

Got any other bible-thumping, verse-quoting, family-valueing, right-winging, hypocritical Republicans in the wings, there is still all of July and August and the Sanford story has gotten tiresome. Maybe we should go back and look at John Ensign again, I don't really think we have learned everything there is to know about that sleaze-bag.

And now that I think of it, David VItter, I'm betting there is a lot more to that guy, as well.

SG

The Zipper   July 3rd, 2009 1:10 pm ET

Boy, wouldn't you love to be the fly on that wall. Hope the couch is comfortable, Mark.

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