Ethics Agency to Counter Governor Sanford’s Bid for Secrecy

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Ethics Commission lawyers will tell the South Carolina Supreme Court why they have the authority to give the House an investigative report at the center of impeachment arguments for Gov. Mark Sanford.

The commission’s staff has until noon Monday to respond to arguments by Sanford’s lawyers. The governor’s lawyers say a report the agency is working on can only be shared with those who prosecute crimes and the House doesn’t have that authority.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell said Friday that Sanford has reversed himself on openness and must be concerned about something ethics investigators are finding.

Sanford’s lawyers say the governor has taken an extraordinary step in allowing the Ethics Commission reveal the nature of its investigation.

In a statement from the governor’s office today, communications director Ben Fox says “We’re in favor of transparency in this process, and a complete and impartial hearing of all the facts. It simply flies in the face of fundamental fairness and due process to have one side’s arguments fully aired and made public, and the other side not allowed the same full and fair hearing * and we believe short-circuiting the legal process for the sake of political payback is more than unwise, it’s dangerous.“

   
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