SC gov’s official e-mails detail man of few words
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Office e-mails from South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford released Wednesday show a man of few words, a stark contrast to the lengthy, intensely personal messages he sent to his Argentine mistress.
More than 3,300 pages of e-mail during the past 14 months were released to The Associated Press after an open records request, but they contained little about his relationship with his mistress, Maria Belen Chapur, whom the married governor has called his “soul mate.” The Republican governor’s office, however, wouldn’t hand over his personal messages from his state or any other computer.
E-mails from Sanford, 49, to Chapur published last month by The State newspaper revealed the governor wrote in depth and in detail, sometimes erotically, about his feelings for her and their trysts. The e-mails were published the same day Sanford tearfully confessed to the affair at a news conference following his six-day unexplained disappearance from the state, when he was in Argentina with Chapur.
While he rambled in the notes to Chapur, most of the communication to his staff was brief, at best.
For instance, state Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor in March asked whether a water and sewer project serving a handful of families and a top health threat for regulators should be approved. Sanford’s reply: “Let’s not approve.”
He scolded a staffer who prepared a daily rundown of news reports. “I need the same format every time. Synopsis first. Then articles. Who wrote article too,” Sanford wrote in December.
In contrast, one of his personal e-mails to Chapur went: “I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificently gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curves of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself …”
The e-mails also indicate Sanford could stay in touch while out of the country. In July 2008, while on a trip to Nepal with his family, he asked a staffer to check with a hotel because one of his four sons had left his “blankie bear” behind.
However, when he disappeared to see Chapur last month, records showed his staff scrambled to get in touch with him and he couldn’t immediately be reached.
The governor’s private schedule over the past seven years also was released. The calendar was a mixed bag of personal and professional details. Sometimes the memo-like rundown told the governor exactly what to wear (very old clothes for a mud run and khakis and a button down to tour storm damage), while other times the schedules were nearly blank, saying: “Personal Time.”
The itineraries reminded the governor of his four sons’ birthdays and his wedding anniversary to his wife of 20 years. But dates where he rendezvoused with his mistress were noticeably scant of details.
E-mail released last week showed when Sanford missed a return flight from Argentina to South Carolina in June 2008, and Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor was worried about the governor.
“Need contact number for him ASAP,” Taylor wrote Sanford’s assistant June 27.
There’s no record of a response to Taylor, but the next day, Ford Graham, the Commerce staffer who accompanied Sanford to Buenos Aires, wrote to Sanford: “I forgot to mention that they really were concerned at first. Apparently they had an informal meeting to discuss what they could do/ how they should respond to a missed flight. In the end they decided that you would work things out.”
Related News
Obama talks to Democratic governors group, heads for Denmark to pitch for Chicago OlympicsOctober 1st, 2009 Obama speaks to Democratic governorsWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama addresses a Democratic fundraiser on Thursday before traveling to Copenhagen to make an Olympic-sized pitch. Obama appears at a Democratic Governors Association event in the afternoon.
Federal jury convicts Calif. man for mailing anthrax hoax lettersSeptember 17th, 2009 Calif. man convicted in nationwide anthrax scareSACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal jury has convicted a 66-year-old Sacramento man for mailing more than 100 anthrax hoax letters last year.
Measure to allow states to jam cell phones in prison gets support from 20 governorsSeptember 10th, 2009 20 governors back prison cell phone jamming billANNAPOLIS, Md. — Twenty governors have signed a letter to support legislation in Congress to allow states to jam contraband cell phones in prisons.
Governors of California, New Mexico, Arizona skip border conference on security, economySeptember 3rd, 2009 3 US governors no-show at border conferenceMONTERREY, Mexico — Mexico's interior secretary says escalating violence along the U.S. border is a reaction to the country's crackdown on organized crime.
Anchorage woman wants judge to order governor's office not to use private e-mail accountsAugust 5th, 2009 Palin's use of private e-mail subject of hearingANCHORAGE, Alaska — A plaintiff in a lawsuit against former Gov. Sarah Palin wants a judge to order the governor's office to use only government e-mail accounts to conduct state business — not private e-mails as the Palin administration sometimes did.
SC gov. says he's ready to get back to leading in first public talk since revealing affairJuly 21st, 2009 SC gov: Time to get back to business of governingGREER, S.C. — South Carolina Gov.
Correction: Governors Convention storyJuly 20th, 2009 Correction: Governors Convention storyJACKSON, Miss. — In a July 18 story on a discussion by the nation's governors on federal stimulus funds, The Associated Press misstated when most of the stimulus money disappears.
AP NewsBreak: SC governor admits more encounters with Argentine mistressJune 30th, 2009 AP NewsBreak: SC gov admits additional encountersCOLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov.
SC governor's revelations prompt state attorney general to call for investigationJune 30th, 2009 SC attorney general calls for investigation of govCOLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina's attorney general is asking for an investigation into Gov.
AP NewsBreak: SC governor admits more liaisons with Argentine mistressJune 30th, 2009 AP NewsBreak: SC gov admits additional liaisonsCOLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov.
A look at SC governor's meetings with mistressJune 30th, 2009 A look at SC governor's meetings with mistressA timeline of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's meetings with his Argentine mistress, Maria Belen Chapur:
— 2001: Sanford and Chapur met in 2001 at an open air dance spot in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
Iowa gov's lawyer says e-mails sent on private accounts are subject to public records lawsMay 5th, 2009 Lawyer agrees to release Iowa governor's e-mailsIOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has released some e-mails he sent in his first two years in office using private computers and non-government servers, a move that follows criticism that he was using private e-mail accounts to dodge public-records law.
A mighty female may have ruled ancient Israeli city: StudyApril 7th, 2009 LONDON - Recent excavations at Tel Beth-Shemesh in Israel have thrown up evidence that challenges the popular belief that all ancient rulers of the land were men. Tel Aviv University (TAU) archaeologists Shlomo Bunimovitz and Zvi Lederman, have come by an unusual ceramic plaque of a goddess in female dress, suggesting that a mighty female 'king' may have ruled the city.
Dropping a line to thousands of votersMarch 26th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Snail mail can do wonders, even in internet age. Or so Punjab's Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and his wife Harsimrat are hoping as they have dashed off hundreds of thousands of letters to voters.
Class 12 CBSE students find maths paper easy but lengthyMarch 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Students of Class 12 of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Saturday were not satisfied with the mathematics paper. Many found it easy but lengthy.
Loading ...