South Carolina 1st lady says letter tipped her to husband’s affair; shocked by Argentina trip

SC 1st lady says letter tipped her to affair

SULLIVANS ISLAND, S.C. — South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford says she discovered her husband’s affair in January when she found a letter to the governor from his mistress.

Jenny Sanford told The Associated Press on Friday she told him to end the affair and was shocked this week when she found out he’d gone to Argentina to see his mistress. She says she believed Gov. Mark Sanford had gone somewhere to work on writing a book.

Jenny Sanford says she stayed with her husband while their four sons were attending their private school in Columbia. She waited until the school year ended to leave him for their coastal home on Sullivans Island.

She wept as she displayed her boys’ stellar report cards and said she most worries about how they’re being affected by the scandal. Jenny Sanford says she plans to take them out of the state for the weekend.