Lawmakers Begin Sanford Impeachment Hearings

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's
mysterious five-day summer disappearance to meet with his Argentine lover will come under sharp scrutiny by a special legislative panel.

The House Judiciary Committee begins its work Tuesday. Seven
members must decide whether to move forward with an impeachment resolution that would remove the Republican governor from office before his second and final term expires in 2011.

Chairman Jim Harrison says the group will review 37 state ethics
charges against Sanford. But he says the initial work is focusing
on the June trip and whether the governor was derelict in his duty when he left.

He appointed no one to take charge and told his staff he was
hiking.

He later tearfully admitted being with the woman he has called
his "soul mate."