(Bumped. 5.28pm by Jed.)
It turns out that Mark Sanford actually did have a rendezvous with his lover during the taxpayer-funded trip to Argentina we told you about yesterday. Washington Post:
Sanford's travels to Brazil and Argentina cost taxpayers at least $9,000 in airfare, lodging, meals and phone charges, according state records.
Now that he's been exposed, Sanford says he's going to repay the state:
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford announced Thursday he would repay the state for portions of a 2008 taxpayer-funded Latin American trade mission during which he rendezvoused with his Argentine mistress.
Okay, fine. He gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar, so he repays taxpayers.
But here's the intriguing question: would he have ever gone to Argentina in the first place if it were not for his mistress? And were there any potential conflicts of interest on the trip?
According to Politico:
According to the agenda, the trade mission included meetings on sugarcane, ethanol, and other renewable fuels.
Those subjects potentially overlap with Maria Belen Shapur’s profession, according to Brazilian media, which reported that she works for an international agribusiness firm called Bunge y Born.
Taxpayer-funded trip to see lover? Check.
Lover who works in the agribusiness sector? Check.
Meetings with local agribusiness experts? Check.
My oh my, how fiscally conservative of him.