Sanford impeachment resolution due next week

At least one South Carolina lawmaker intends to introduce a resolution next week to impeach embattled Gov. Mark Sanford (R), he announced Tuesday.

Local Republicans to this point have debated -- but have taken no formal action -- to remove Sanford, currently mired in an ongoing ethics investigation about his use of state resources. But Tuesday's news suggests some state lawmakers are sufficiently frustrated with the governor's refusal to exit office willingly and are ready to oust Sanford before his term expires.

The initiative, sponsored by state Rep. Greg Delleny, cites Sanford for bringing "disgrace and shame and ridicule" to South Carolina, according to CNN. It specifically charges Sanford for neglecting his duties as governor when he disappeared for days in June to visit his mistress in Argentina.

"If that is not serious misconduct in office, I don't know what is," Delleney told CNN.

Whether local GOP leaders support the congressman's forthcoming resolution, however, is another story entirely. Although most lawmakers -- including the state's lieutenant governor -- have asked Sanford to step down, they have so far shied away from impeachment proceedings. Instead, most party members have said they would rather wait for the state's ethics panel to complete its investigation of Sanford before taking formal action.