Gov. Mark Sanford, who serves as a captain in the Air Force Reserves, is unlikely to be sanctioned for any possible military misconduct in the wake of an adulterous affair he admitted to carrying on with a woman in Argentina, according to an Air Force spokesman.

“At this time we do not intend to conduct an investigation [of Sanford] or otherwise pursue any administrative actions,” says Lt. Col. Leslie Pratt, chief of public affairs at Air Force Reserve Command headquarters near Macon, Ga.

It is yet another hurdle the two-term Republican governor has cleared as he attempts to right his political, professional and personal life.

The State Law Enforcement Division has issued an opinion that Sanford did not misuse state funds on trips he took to see his mistress. And S.C. Attorney General Henry
McMaster’s office says it has no plans to investigate him.

Meanwhile, declarations within Sanford’s party that he should resign have largely quieted, following a July 6 conference call during which the state GOP executive committee voted to censure Sanford for his behavior.

A July 9 rally at the State House seeking his resignation drew only about 60 people.
Originally supported by Republican National Committee member and York County GOP leader Glenn McCall, organizing of the event was later taken up by Democratic activists and pushed via the social networking web site Facebook.com.

Sanford is an officer in the Medical Service Corps of the Air Force Reserves and is assigned to the 1st National Security Emergency Preparedness Directorate at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Fla.

Questions have been raised as to whether Sanford’s affair would affect his military status.
The Uniform Code of Military Justice specifies more than 50 reasons why a member of the armed forces could face discharge or a court-martial. The causes range from murder and rape to spying and being drunk on duty.

One sticking point for Sanford, some argue, is Article 133 of the uniform code: conduct unbecoming an officer. Whether adultery can be a direct violation of Article 133 is unclear.

George Brauchler, an attorney in Denver who specializes in cases involving the code, says that based on Sanford’s reserve status, it would be unlikely for the Air Force to bring a charge against him for adultery.

Anything that someone in Sanford’s reserve position would do in his private life is “unlikely to be prosecuted by the military or the Air Force,” Brauchler says.

Brauchler adds, however, that if Sanford acted in his capacity as a military officer during his trips to Argentina, or to facilitate anything he did there, the likelihood of an investigation would probably increase.

“Unless the clothing hung over the edge of the ‘soul mate’s’ bed was his uniform, I think it’s unlikely that the Air Force would take disciplinary action against a reservist philandering on his own time,” Brauchler says. 

Regardless, as a military officer, Sanford has set a bad example for those serving in his unit, says Wade Fulmer, a Vietnam veteran and Columbia resident who serves on the veterans care committee of Military Families Speak Out. The group is a national organization that advocates for the care of active-duty and military veterans and their families.

“If you’re not faithful to your family, where’s the credibility of [holding] a rank of authority in the military?” Fulmer asks.

Let us know what you think: Email news@free-times.com.