S.C. governor ‘crossed lines’ with more women

Failed attempt at a farewell
Sanford also detailed more visits with Chapur, including an encounter that he described as a failed attempt at a farewell meeting in New York this past winter, chaperoned by a spiritual adviser and sanctioned by his wife soon after she found out about the affair.

But he saw Chapur again, this time over Father's Day weekend and after his wife expressly told him not to, leaving the country without telling his staff and instead leading them to believe he was hiking the Appalachian Trail.

By the time he returned to a puzzled public, staff and family, his public image and emotional state had unraveled. He admitted the affair at a news conference televised nationally, but at the time said there were only four meetings with his mistress.

Sanford told the AP he saw Chapur five times over the past year, including two romantic, multi-night stays with her in New York — one in Manhattan, one in the Hamptons, both paid for in cash so no one would know — before they met in the city again with the intention of breaking up.

He said he saw her two other times before that, including their first meeting.

"There was some kind of connection from the very beginning," he said, though neither that first encounter nor a 2004 coffee date in New York during the Republican National Convention were romantic.

Their relationship turned physical, he said, during a government trip to Brazil and Argentina in June 2008, and when he returned, the e-mails that had started years earlier began to reflect anguish over what they had done.

"Now I am frightened," he told the AP, describing his state of mind at the time. "It was before safe. But now it's not safe. We gotta put the genie back in the bottle."

He has said he will reimburse the state an undetermined amount of the more-than $8,000 in taxpayer money spent on the trip, and he insists no public money was used for any other meetings with her.

Critics calling for his resignation
Critics have charged that Sanford should resign or be impeached because he was unreachable during the latest Argentina trip and that no one was in charge of state government during his secret absence.

In the interview, he said he first became aware that officials were looking for him Monday evening, June 22 — four days after his departure for Argentina — when he checked his cell phone voice mail.

"I was reached ultimately on Monday evening," he said. "I was contacted and called (chief of staff) Scott (English) back that Tuesday morning." Sanford said he then changed his flight to return to South Carolina that evening.

He and Jenny, parents of four sons, say they are trying to reconcile their marriage but have not been sharing the same house for several weeks. Jenny Sanford found out about the relationship in January when she discovered a letter the governor had written to his mistress. She did not immediately return messages seeking comment Tuesday and was not at their coastal home on Sullivans Island.

More from msnbc.com Growing jobless spurs surge in disability claims Cosmic Log: ‘Ardi’ is science’s top 2009 breakthrough Rudolph, the dog, teaches kids lesson Air ambulances leave some with sky-high bills  Gift of giving takes on a whole new meaning Send your holiday pictures to troops

MORE FROM MORE POLITICS

More politics Section Front

CQ: Women carry corporate success to campaigns Newsweek: Political predictions for 2010 Poll: Brown still leads in Calif. governor's race NYT: U.S. aide accused of plot to oust Karzai S.C. lawmakers approve formal rebuke for gov. Sen. Schumer regrets comment to flight attendant Ex-Edwards aide to speak about sex scandal House votes to lower volume on noisy TV ads D.C. City Council votes to legalize gay marriage Millions of missing Bush admin. e-mails found More politics Section Front   Add More politics headlines to your news reader: