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COLUMBIA, SC -- House Speaker Bobby Harrell issued the statement below following Governor Sanford's press conference:

"Today's revelations are disturbing and shocking. There is no excuse for the unfortunate events that have transpired in recent days.  The personal issues must be sorted out by the Sanford family and we hope for the best for them during this most difficult time.  For five days the governor let his staff deceive the press and the people of South Carolina regarding where he was and what he was doing."

"The governor's absence has brought to light some issues regarding the chain of command in the absence of the chief executive. It is imperative that the General Assembly deal with this during the next session. More importantly, we must focus on our state's economy and improving education. With our unemployment rate as the third worst in the country, our time has to be devoted to getting unemployed South Carolinians back to work, improving education and growing our state's economy."