COLUMBIA, South Carolina A review of Gov. Mark Sanford's travel records shows no misuse of public funds, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Reggie Lloyd said Thursday."The governor was cooperative ... he provided that information to us that would answer the question of, 'Was there an improper use of public funds?' And we're satisfied that there was none," Lloyd said, adding that a report will be forwarded to the attorney general and state ethics commission.
South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, a Republican who plans to run for governor in 2010, called for an investigation into Sanford's travel records after the governor admitted he had visited his Argentine mistress more times than he previously disclosed.
McMaster also called on the Republican governor to release all travel records to the media and the public.
"Maintaining public trust, complete transparency and full public disclosure is vitally important," he said in a statement Thursday. Watch McMaster discuss the investigation »
Sanford's office said he would do so after SLED announced its findings. Sanford already paid back the state for the Argentina leg of a state-funded missions trip last year because he saw the woman he had an affair with on that trip.
In the week since Sanford admitted to his affair, nearly half of the state's 27 Republican senators have called on him to step down.
Despite the growing chorus, Sanford has no plans to step aside, his office said Thursday.
"He remains committed and determined to repair the damage he has done in his marriage and to building back the trust of the people of South Carolina," his office said, noting that he'll be spending the holiday weekend with his family in Florida.
After disappearing for nearly a week, Sanford admitted last week that he'd been in Argentina with his mistress. The Republican governor later confessed that he'd seen his mistress several times in the past year, and that he'd also "crossed lines" with other women.
Republican strategist and CNN contributor Bill Bennett said politically, Sanford is "a dead man walking." Bennett joins anti-Sanford chorus
"He is embarrassing himself. There is the old notion of indecent exposure -- usually that refers to somebody showing some skin they shouldn't -- and there's another form of indecent exposure: He is telling us way too much," he said. Watch Bennett discuss the political drama »
Bennett also suggested the GOP can easily fill the gap Sanford would leave."We have other people," he said. "We have other people who are not only fiscally interesting and sound but also can keep their lives together."CNN's Peter Hamby contributed to this report.
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