Harrell wants Sanford to resign

COLUMBIA — After keeping quiet on his opinions about Gov. Mark Sanford's actions for months, House Speaker Bobby Harrell today asked the two-term Republican governor to resign.

Harrell, a Charleston Republican, delivered a letter to Sanford today, according to a press release sent this afternoon by Harrell's communications director Greg Foster.

"It was with much thought and trepidation that I came to this conclusion," Harrell said in a statement. "I did so only after I spoke with colleagues in the Legislature, talked with leaders in our communities, heard from numerous citizens from across the state and carefully reviewed the facts surrounding the situation.

"What has become clear is that Governor Sanford's issues will continue to dominate our state as long as he remains in office. Whether he should be removed from office is a question that will need to be answered from the State Ethics Commission investigation, but our state's future is too important to have the governor's issues overshadow everything we do for the next fifteen months.

"For the good of our state, Governor Sanford should step aside."

Harrell said Sanford's "self-inflicted wounds" are too much of a distraction and that too much time will be spent trying to overcome the fallout from his extramarital affair and not enough attention will be put on job creation, education and health care.

"This is a disappointing situation, but a necessary step for the public restoration of trust to our state's highest elected office and the only way to allow our state to move forward," Harrell said.

Sanford is scheduled to participate in an hour-long radio interview at 5 p.m. with WVOC-AM's Keven Cohen. The governor will take questions from callers.

Sanford responded to Harrell's request in a statement issued just before the radio interview:

"I've spent the last several weeks talking with South Carolinians from every walk of life across this state, and I can tell you what they're not interested in - they are not interested in the latest political gossip here in Columbia.

"So while I do appreciate the Speaker's concern about us being focused on the job at hand, I'd respond by saying that not only are we focused, but it strikes me that I'm more focused than I have ever been - given that there's no Chairmanship of the RGA, no national media appearances and no speeches across the country on spending.

"That said, let me once again be unequivocally clear: while it would be easier to simply move on with life and not contest the sensational charges against our administration, it would be wrong. It was for that reason that I think the Speaker was originally right in his view of a couple of months ago that people should withhold judgment until after the Ethics report. It's unfortunate that he, by this action, seems to have joined the ranks of some others who would attempt to politicize what has gone on.

"As well, I believe that given the constitutionally weak state of the governorship in South Carolina, it would be wrong to simply go back to the farm and take refuge given the implications for future governors.

"So I'd humbly request the Speaker and his fellow legislative leaders put aside a whole lot of politics and look past media accounts, and indeed join with me in working for South Carolinians as our state faces real challenges going forward."

Read more in tomorrow's editions of The Post and Courier.