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SC Lawmaker Accuses Sanford Camp Of Planting Lt. Gov Gay Smear

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The fallout from Mark Sanford's Argentinian romance is getting increasingly nasty.

Yesterday, State Senator Jake Knotts, a Republican but a committed Sanford foe, sent a letter to fellow lawmakers, in which he accused unnamed supporters of the bed-hopping chief exec of planting a rumor that Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer -- who would become governor if Sanford steps down -- is gay.

Read the letter here.

Knotts writes:

I can tell you with absolute certainty this attack was orchestrated on behalf of Mark Sanford, either directly or indirectly, and financially subsidized by him or one of his many "front-groups".

And speaking this afternoon to CNN, Knotts -- who earlier this summer played a key role in alerting the media to Sanford's disappearance, then stoking the story over the coming days -- addressed Bauer's sexuality in colorful terms:

"Ain't a homosexual bone in his body. That boy is a good boy. It's a just an attempt to prevent Andre from become governor.

Knotts adds in the letter that he is "100 % certain the rumor is false". Asked in June by The State newspaper whether he was gay, Bauer replied: "One word, two letters. No."

Knotts offers no hard evidence to support his claim that Sanford's supporters planted the rumor, but points out that Bauer last week called on Sanford to resign, and that over the weekend, House GOPers followed up on that by deciding all but unanimously to ask for Sanford's resignation. Two days later, the Bauer rumor appeared on the blog of Mike Rogers, a Washington D.C. gay activist known for outing people he says are in the closet. From there it was quickly picked up by South Carolina bloggers.

Knotts goes on to urge his fellow lawmakers "to move swiftly to rid our state of this
Governor," and calls for an investigation of the "attack" on Bauer.

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9 comments

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September 3, 2009 3:06 PM   

I thought sandford was the gay one.

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September 3, 2009 5:50 PM    in reply to igotmyreasons

Maybe the gentleman doth project too much.

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September 3, 2009 4:10 PM   

Aw, c'mon. Bauer set off my gaydar back when Sanford's scandal was just getting started, when Bauer was acting all mystified about Sanford's whereabouts in front of every TV camera he could wrangle.

Of course, he set off my "asshole alarm" too.

I'm suprised somebody hasn't posted gay sex video of him to the web yet, just to get even.

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September 3, 2009 4:17 PM   

Please change the headline on this article, pronto.

Being called gay is not a "smear." I know, your point is merely that it was *intended* as a smear. But the headline is still squicky. Please fix.

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September 3, 2009 4:44 PM   

Ain't a homosexual bone in his body. That boy is a good boy.

Homosexuals bad, heterosexuals good. Thanks for the clarification, Senator Knotts. I'm sure all of your gay constituents appreciate it.

By the way, something seems to be in the water down there in South Carolina that causes all of the elected Republican officials to think about nothing but sex, sex, sex:

Kristin Maguire, an Upstate evangelical and one of South Carolina’s most respected social conservatives, has been one of the governor’s closest education policy advisors for years. She’s also Sanford’s appointment to the S.C. Board of Education, which last year elected her its Chairwoman.

What else is she?

The prolific author of hardcore erotic fiction on the Internet, according to documents provided to the governor’s office earlier this summer and later obtained by FITS.

Maguire, a professed Christian who home-schools her four children, declined to comment for our story but did not deny that she had previously frequented websites that feature such X-rated material. Maguire believes that a former friend is leaking the information to the media in an effort to ruin her political career.


http://www.fitsnews.com/2009/08/31/sex-education/

Some examples of Ms. Maguire's literary endeavors at the site as well.

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EdA

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September 3, 2009 4:51 PM   

Well, State Senator Knotts has a solid background in law enforcement


http://www.scstatehouse.gov/members/bios/1024999877.html

But I'm not sure on what objective basis he would say:

"Ain't a homosexual bone in his body. That boy is a good boy. It's a just an attempt to prevent Andre from become governor."

(I can think of a couple, but I have only uninformed speculation and snarkiness behind them.)

And the headline DOES have to be changed, from "smear" to "rumor," unless the reference is to the guy being a Republican, which would be a true smear.

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September 3, 2009 4:51 PM   

Also, Mike Rogers says he's batting .1000 in the outing of gay politicians, having, um, fingered both Larry Craig and Mark Foley prior to their very public outings:

http://www.blogactive.com/2009/08/rumors-confirmed.html

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September 3, 2009 5:02 PM   

Linda Ketner, openly lesbian 2008 Congressional candidate who nearly upset Henry Brown in SC-1, named Bauer as a closeted politician in an interview she did back with FireDogLake back in May:

http://firedoglake.com/2009/05/30/blue-america-meet-linda-ketner/

She also named Lindsey Graham and State Senate President Glen McConnell as being closeted SC politicians.

Not sure where she fits in with an alleged conspiracy with the Governor's office, but I somehow doubt she is working with Sanford to circulate this.

And I've got to agree with others -- we should be past the days where we refer to being gay as a "smear". First, it wouldn't be a smear if it is the truth (and it may very well be). Secondly, a progressive blog shouldn't buy into the homophobic assumptions that make being referred to a "gay" as a "smear". It should simply be referred to as a rumour, or at least "smear" should be put in quotation marks if represents a quote from Knotts.

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September 4, 2009 12:14 AM   

"Ain't a homosexual bone in his body". Probably correct. It is his bone in some other guy's body

Time and time again, the republican party has shown that their homophobes are secretly gay, and throw out their self hatred - caused by their church - on others, in an attempt to deflect away suspicion from their own desires.

It is the old game. Only Satan himself, the true God for some of these right wing churches, could have come up with such a diabolical plot.

And the endless list of "good christians" in the closet includes Foley, Craig, Minister Ted Haggard, Minister Barnes etc etc etc.

One has to feel sorry for them. But I have no sympathy for their gutless behavior. Toss your Bibles guys. Get brave. Come out, and the gay community will forgive you for the most part. But your church won't. And isn't that the perfect example of what these churches are about- power, money, and control. The true God's of their existence.

And when God judges, I will be glad that we are told we are not to Judge. For I don't think I have the guts to do what God will do to the people who perpetrate hatred in His name.

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