South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who originally admitted to meeting his Argentine mistress four times in the past year, told the AP that the number is more like seven.
Apparently there were five meetings in the last year, including “two multi-night stays” in New York. That’s the first time he’s admitted to trysts on U.S. soil.
There were also two more meetings before the. The two first met in 2001.
The AP interview was, unsurprisingly, “lengthy” and “emotional.”
Late update: The AP has released more of the interview. Looks like Sanford attempted to end the relationship earlier this year (or at least, that’s what he told his wife). After asking her several times, Sanford got permission from his wife to go to New York, meet his lover and end the affair in person. He took along a “trusted spiritual adviser” as a chaperone for an evening of church, dinner and no overnight stay.
Then, of course, he ended up in Argentina.
Also of note: One of those pre-2008 meetings was over coffee during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York.