Breaking News: Statements by Jennie Sanford and others

Statement from First Lady Jenny Sanford:

I would like to start by saying I love my husband and I believe I have put forth
every effort possible to be the best wife I can be during our almost twenty
years of marriage. As well, for the last fifteen years my husband has been fully
engaged in public service to the citizens and taxpayers of this state and I have
faithfully supported him in those efforts to the best of my ability. I have
been and remain proud of his accomplishments and his service to this state.

I personally believe that the greatest legacy I will leave behind in this world
is not the job I held on Wall Street, or the campaigns I managed for Mark, or
the work I have done as First Lady or even the philanthropic activities in which
I have been routinely engaged. Instead, the greatest legacy I will leave in this
world is the character of the children I, or we, leave behind. It is for that
reason that I deeply regret the recent actions of my husband Mark, and their
potential damage to our children.

I believe wholeheartedly in the sanctity, dignity and importance of the
institution of marriage. I believe that has been consistently reflected in my
actions. When I found out about my husband’s infidelity I worked immediately to
first seek reconciliation through forgiveness, and then to work diligently to
repair our marriage. We reached a point where I felt it was important to look my
sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect, and my basic sense of
right and wrong. I therefore asked my husband to leave two weeks ago.

This trial separation was agreed to with the goal of ultimately strengthening
our marriage. During this short separation it was agreed that Mark would not
contact us. I kept this separation quiet out of respect of his public office and
reputation, and in hopes of keeping our children from just this type of public
exposure. Because of this separation, I did not know where he was in the past
week.

I believe enduring love is primarily a commitment and an act of will, and for a
marriage to be successful, that commitment must be reciprocal. I believe Mark
has earned a chance to resurrect our marriage.

Psalm 127 states that sons are a gift from the Lord and children a reward from
Him. I will continue to pour my energy into raising our sons to be honorable
young men. I remain willing to forgive Mark completely for his indiscretions and
to welcome him back, in time, if he continues to work toward reconciliation with
a true spirit of humility and repentance.

This is a very painful time for us and I would humbly request now that members
of the media respect the privacy of my boys and me as we struggle together to
continue on with our lives and as I seek the wisdom of Solomon, the strength and
patience of Job and the grace of God in helping to heal my family.

Representative Nikki Haley (R-Lexington) released the following statement regarding Governor Sanford’s press conference:

“While Governor Sanford and I have long shared a political philosophy, today’s revelations go well beyond politics. This is a tragic situation for the Sanford family and for our state. My prayers are with the Sanfords, and in particular with Jenny and the boys, and I will do anything I can to help them through this ordeal.

“My work in the General Assembly and in my campaign for governor has always been centered on bringing trust and accountability back to government. One component of that is treating taxpayer dollars responsibly and changing the structure of state government so it is accountable to taxpayers. Governor Sanford has been a champion of those principles, and I admire his efforts in those areas. However, another component is behaving in a manner that allows people to trust in their public officials and feel good about their government. Obviously, the Governor has fallen far short in that regard and that is extremely unfortunate.

“I will continue to bring my message of trust and accountability to the people of our state over the weeks and months ahead. More importantly, I hope to be able to help heal the wounds that have been created in South Carolina by today’s news.”

STATEMENT BY SENATE MAJORITY LEADER HARVEY PEELER

Columbia, SC – June 24, 2009 – South Carolina Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee) issued the following statement today:

“I’m deeply disturbed that NO ONE knew where Governor Sanford was over the last five days. He left the country and deliberately made himself unavailable without delegating power to the Lt. Governor. In the process he misled his staff who unknowingly misled the public. These actions could have had drastic consequences in the case of an emergency. We cannot let the Governor’s personal life overshadow his public responsibility, or in this case, his negligence of gubernatorial authority.”

STATEMENT BY SENATE MAJORITY LEADER HARVEY PEELER

Columbia, SC – June 24, 2009 – South Carolina Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler (R-Cherokee) issued the following statement today:

“I’m deeply disturbed that NO ONE knew where Governor Sanford was over the last five days. He left the country and deliberately made himself unavailable without delegating power to the Lt. Governor. In the process he misled his staff who unknowingly misled the public. These actions could have had drastic consequences in the case of an emergency. We cannot let the Governor’s personal life overshadow his public responsibility, or in this case, his negligence of gubernatorial authority.”