WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Harrell criticizes Sanford over ethics transparency promise
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By Logan Smith - email
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - House Speaker Bobby Harrell is criticizing Gov. Mark Sanford for the governor's reluctance to release the results of an ethics investigation to representatives.
The State Ethics Commission on Wednesday said they are charging the governor with unspecified ethics violations. A hearing on those charges is to take place early next year.
Sanford had previously promised transparency in the investigation, but unsuccessfully fought to prevent the report's public release.
Harrell said the ethics commission privately gave Sanford a copy of the report on Wednesday, and Thursday Harrell criticized Sanford for not giving a copy to the House.
"We are disappointed that Governor Sanford has broken his transparency promise by keeping this court-ordered public document secret," Harrell said. "After claiming to be a leader in the transparency movement and heavily criticizing others on this issue, the Governor’s insistence on secrecy goes against all his past actions on this issue."
Sanford attorney Butch Bowers said Thursday afternoon that Sanford had agreed to give a copy of the report to Harrell next week, "following the commission’s release of its notice of hearing."
However, the speaker's office said that's not good enough.
"This is a public document as of yesterday when the commission gave it to the Governor," Harrell spokesperson Greg Foster said. "It should have been made available to the public then, not next week.
In August, an Associated Press investigation showed Sanford took private plane trips and did not report the flights on ethics disclosure forms.
A resolution to impeach Sanford is in the House Judiciary Committee right now, and won't be voted on until after the ethics commission releases their investigation.
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Copyright 2009 WIS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.
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