SC Gov Who Didn’t Want Stimulus Money Flew High

South Carolina’s Governor, lover of a wise Latina woman, wasn’t so fiscally conservative when it came to flying around the world, including trips to see his mistress. The so-called frugal governor chose first or business-class seats while his staff languished in the back of the planes.

Sanford, who once criticized other state officials for costly travel, charged the state more than $37,600 for one first-class and four business-class flights overseas since November 2005, expense records show…

The Republican governor, who balked at taking federal stimulus money after arguing it was an unwise use of taxpayer funds, charged the state $8,687 for a Delta Airlines trip to Brazil last year that included a leg in business class, state expense records show.

That trip ended with the governor’s now well-publicized visit to his Argentine mistress, Maria Belen Chapur, and marked what he says was the start of a nearly yearlong sexual affair with the woman he’s called his “soul mate.”

Sanford’s public statements don’t comport with his high-flying ways.

When first running for governor in 2002, the former congressman, who once boasted of sleeping on a cot in his office to save money, blasted incumbent state officials for their expensive flights.

“This kind of lavish spending with taxpayers footing the bill just doesn’t make any sense to me,” Sanford said in one campaign ad. “If I become your governor, I’ll fix that problem.”

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.