UPDATE! Mark Sanford’s Romantic Emails To Mistress Maria

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who had been on an undisclosed location for the past couple of days, finally decided to open up and admit he had been having an affair with a close friend from Argentina. A teary eyed Sanford emotionally apologized to his staff, wife Jenny Sanford and family in a news conference on Wednesday (June 24).

Sanford said, “Let me first of all apologize to my wife and my 4 boys. I’ve let down a lot of people, that’s the bottom line. I’m here because if you were to look at God’s laws they are designed to protect people from themselves…it is indeed to protect ourselves from ourselves.”

“I’ve been unfaithful to my wife. I developed a relationship with what started out with a dear dear friend from Argentina. Recently over this last year it developed into something much more than that.”

“We developed a remarkable friendship over those eight years and then as I said about a year ago it sparked into something more than that,” Sanford explained. “I have seen her three times since then, during that whole sparking thing. … It was discovered five months ago and went into serious overdrive.”

The governor confessed his wife knew about the affair. When asked if he was separated from his wife Jenny, Sanford said, “I don’t know how you want to define that. I’m here, she’s there. I guess in a formal sense we’re not.”

Sanford, who did not reveal his mistress’ identity, offered his resignation from his position of chairman of the Republican Governors Association. Senator John Ensign, actor Morgan Freeman and Police Chief Edward Flynn have also recently admitted their affairs.

Mark Sanford & Jenny Sanford Pictures