Alan Greenblatt is a GOVERNING correspondent.
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Are Sanford's Enemies Working the Press?
A theme in our coverage here and on Ballot Box has been that South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has been the type of politician to make enemies and that's clearly not serving him well at this point.
Aside from angry comments in recent days, clearly someone is tipping off The State. The Columbia paper's site, as noted below, has already published several emails exchanged between Sanford and his lover.
According to the site, the paper obtained the emails last December.
And the paper had a reporter this morning who knew which flight Sanford was coming in on.
I'm not denying that the paper is covering the story admirably. I just wonder who might be helping them along.
Update: TalkingPointsMemo earlier today linked to a blog post from Will Folks, the former Sanford spokesman who blogs at Fitsnews.com, that suggested The State had material in its possession that would confirm that Sanford was having an affair. Whether that includes anything aside from the emails, we'll soon find out.
But as TPM suggests, this may help explain why Sanford decided to come clean and why he took five tearful days to call off the affair. This may not have been a break of his own timing or choosing.
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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