Maria Shapur

Reuters - Republican South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, a conservative seen as a presidential contender before a sex scandal wrecked his reputation, faces 37 possible ethics violations, the state ethics commission said on Monday. Read Full Story

According to blog Guanabee, this is Maria Belen Shapur. Blog Guanabee has tracked down a photo of Maria Belen Shapur , the woman who had an extramartical affair with South Carolina governor Mark Sanford . It's from a news broadcast in 2001. From an article at Guanabee: Argentinean news networks C5N & Infobae say this woman is the María Belén Chapur that is currently crying with and schtupping Mark Sanford, governor of South Carolina. No offense to the other María Chapur, but this seems more plausible. We had a hard time imagining a man flying 11 hours for sex with the other lady. This ... Read Full Story

Calls are growing louder for Gov. Mark Sanford to resign over his extramarital affair and questionable travel on commercial, state and private planes. Those who were on the fence are now calling for his resignation, and those who were demanding his resignation now say he should be impeached. Even a leader of Sanford's own Republican party says the level of criticism is rising. "I think it has ratcheted up everybody in the whole process because now we're talking about some very serious violations of ethics law at a minimum," state House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham said. Bingham's caucus meets this weekend and expects to ... Read Full Story

South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford says she feels sorry for her husband's Argentine lover and believes the philandering governor's affair is almost like an addiction to alcohol or pornography. The 47-year-old first lady told Vogue magazine she concentrates on forgiveness because she doesn't want to become angry or bitter. She said reconciling will be hard, following Gov. Mark Sanford's admission of the affair and of crossing lines with other women. The governor disappeared for nearly a week in late June to see his lover, Maria Belen Chapur. He left his staff, his wife and the rest of the state in the dark about ... Read Full Story

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford shed his fiscal conservatism on several taxpayer-funded international trips, including a South American jaunt that included time with his mistress, choosing expensive first-class or business-class seats while his aides sat in coach. 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. Other state employees flew in the back of the plane at a fraction of the price, according to the documents. The Republican governor, who balked at taking federal stimulus money after arguing it was an unwise use ... Read Full Story