Gov. Mark Sanford should have resigned soon after the revelations about his misconduct in office. But it would be a mistake for lawmakers to go through the process of impeaching him.
The S.C. Ethics Commission last week released the results of its preliminary, three-month investigation into allegations against Sanford. The report included 37 charges of breaking state ethics laws, including using state planes for family trips, spending campaign funds on a hunting trip and flying first class, instead of coach, while on state travel.
Those charges don't touch on the fact that he also left the state for five days to visit his mistress in Argentina while leaving his own staff in the dark as to his whereabouts. Altogether this adds up to serious dereliction of duty.
But do the charges rise to the level of impeachable offenses? We would say no.
Instead, they resemble a grab-bag of misdemeanors, none of which is serious enough to warrant removal from office. Even considered as a whole, they don't add up to high crimes against the state.
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