Panel Scrutinizes Sanford's Plane Use

The panel that could recommend that South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford be impeached met Tuesday to talk about his travels.

Panel members had many questions, including whether Sanford’s use of state planes to travel to Republican Party fundraisers is considered official business.

Before the meeting started, a staff member of Sanford’s attorneys handed reporters a packet explaining each of the nine airplane flights in question, arguing they were all for official business.

One central issue before the panel is deciding what “official business” really means, and whether Sanford stuck to that definition.

Sanford’s attorneys defended him for three hours, disputing all nine accusations that he used a state plane for personal business. They claimed every flight was for official business, but also argued that even if that is debatable, the offense is not serious enough to throw Sanford out of office.

But some on the special committee had concerns that many flights took the governor to GOP events, dinners and fundraisers. Democrat committee member Walt McLeod questioned whether that was official state business or merely Republican party business. He worried that “official business” could be made to mean anything.

“It basically seems that if you’re invited anywhere, because of your office, then therefore that is official business,” he said.

The committee will not decide how serious any of the charges are until it hears them all. After the meeting, Committee Chairman Jim Harrison responded to criticism from some lawmakers that the hearings won’t accomplish anything.

“These people are free to speak, but I don’t believe anybody has taken a vote of this group of people, or the full judiciary, or the full House to see if the votes are there to impeach,” he said.

Eyewitness News reporter Greg Suskin said the mood in the hearing room was never heated, and that there was laughter back and forth between Sanford’s attorneys and the committee members.

The committee will meet again on Thursday morning.