A mix of Republicans and Democrats, including six men and one woman, make up the panel that was chosen to debate an impeachment resolution introduced by Rep. Greg Delleney, R-Chester.

Delleney, who also sits on the committee, accuses Sanford of going absent without leave and being derelict in his duty when he left the country for five days in June to see a mistress in Argentina. Thank you for participating. Do you think Gov. Mark Sanford should be impeached? Do you think Gov. Mark Sanford should be impeached? Yes No Not sure

"All he had to do was tell the lieutenant governor he was going," Delleney said during the meeting. "He didn't even have to tell him where he was going."

But in a written affidavit, Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer wrote that he had no idea where Sanford was, and he later demanded to speak to him or he was going to the press.

That June weekend, Sanford's staff told reporters that the governor was hiking the Appalachian Trail. It's that lie and the cover-up that motivated Delleney to write his resolution.

However, shortly after the meeting started Tuesday afternoon, it was clear that the committee would be looking at much more than that. They voted to expand the scope of their role to also include a just released report from the state ethics commission.

That report charges Sanford with 37 counts of violating state ethics laws. Now, the special committee will be discussing those charges as well.

Delleney told Eyewitness News it was a good idea to expand the function of the committee beyond just the impeachment resolution.

"The sheer volume of 37 ethics violations is sort of overwhelming. It is a symbol of the arrogance of power," he said. "I think it could give me more support."

However, several of the members took issue with Delleney's push to impeach the governor, including Democrat Walton McLeod. He disagreed with using words like "AWOL" or saying Sanford "left his post" or was "derelict in his duty."

"Those are military words," McLeod said. "They don't apply to civilians, and they don't apply to the governor of this state. This all sounds very shrill to me."

Others questioned whether Sanford had ever vanished before at other times without telling anyone where he was going, or if the Argentina trip was the only time. Rep. David Weeks had questions about the chain of command in the governor's absence and how it's supposed to work.

Several members said they were interested in hearing live testimony from those close to the governor during his five-day disappearance instead of merely reading from sworn affidavits that can't answer all their questions.

The committee chairman said they may need subpoena power to get people in front of them to testify. That could only happen by a vote of the larger judiciary committee.

Late Tuesday, Sanford's attorney Ross Garber sent Eyewitness News an e-mailed statement saying the governor's disappearance in June does not meet the standard for impeachment.

"As was pointed out in the hearing this afternoon, the state constitution ensures that the chain of command in state government is not threatened because the lieutenant governor is automatically transferred command in the event of an emergency during the governor's temporary absence," it said.

"The trigger for that was never pulled," argues Delleney, who said Bauer couldn't have taken power when he didn't even know where the governor was or if he was incapacitated in some way.

The committee will meet again on Dec. 1, Dec. 3 and Dec. 7. In each meeting, members will tackle a different aspect of the ethics committee's charges: the spending of campaign money, the use of state airplanes and the purchase of first class airline tickets for government use. All are violations of state laws, according to the ethics committee.

Previous Stories: November 23, 2009: Sanford Faces 37 State Ethics Charges November 20, 2009: S.C. Lawmakers To Take Up Impeachment November 18, 2009: S.C. Gov. Sanford To Face Hearing Into Possible Ethics Violations November 17, 2009: S.C. Lawmaker Introduces Gov. Impeachment Measure October 7, 2009: Sanford Says Constituents Care More About Jobs Than Ethics Probe October 2, 2009: SC Supreme Court To Review Gov's Ethics Arguments September 9, 2009: 60 S.C. House Republicans Call On Governor To Resign August 28, 2009: Support Grows For Sanford Impeachment August 26, 2009: Lawmakers Expect To Push Gov. Sanford Out Of Office