South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) on Monday was cleared of criminal conduct by the state's attorney general, regarding trips he took last year to meet his mistress in Argentina. 

Sanford, who was once considered a potential 2012 GOP presidential candidate, came under scrutiny for using state aircraft and campaigns funds as well as  taking two trips to Argentina without informing necessary personnel.

Attorney General Henry McMaster said the "evidence does not support, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the governor knowingly, willfully and intentionally set out to break state law," according to The State.

McMaster is running for governor this fall.

The decision means that Sanford will not face criminal charges and likely puts to rest the wide-ranging probe into his gubernatorial tenure that began after his admission of having an extramarital affair last June.

Sanford paid $74,000 in fines to settle civil charges in March and paid over $66,000 to reimburse upgraded airfare he was discovered to have received in the ethics probe. 

Actress Demi Moore will be on Capitol Hill Tuesday afternoon to meet with lawmakers about the domestic sex trafficking of children.
 
She will be at the White House later that afternoon to discuss the same issue.
 
Moore is scheduled to meet with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Reps. Ted Poe (R-Texas), Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), Chris Smith (R-N.J.), and Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), co-chairwoman of the Human Trafficking Caucus.
 
Moore and the lawmakers will hold a briefing at 2:30 p.m. in the Capitol Visitor Center, according to Trevor Neilson, her philanthropic adviser. They will be joined by some sex trafficked survivors.
 
She and husband Ashton Kutcher have started a foundation to help girls who have been subjected to sex trafficking. More information is available at www.demiandashton.org.
 
Also, Moore is a prolific tweeter who had used the social networking site to call lawmakers’ attention to the issue. Odds are she’ll be tweeting about her meetings Tuesday at http://twitter.com/mrskutcher.
 

The Florida Republican party is doing some housecleaning -- and the first thing on the block, literally, is an oil painting of Gov. Charlie Crist. On Ebay.

Crist left the GOP last Thursday to run as an Independent for Senate, and the state GOP is using the online auction site to unload a portrait of him. And it appears at least a few folks are interested: On Monday alone, 39 bidders pushed the painting up to $750, well past the minimum of $167.

Described as a "privately commissioned, high quality, one of a kind, genuine oil painting on fine linen canvas, the seller listed these tongue-in-cheek selling points:

 - Canvas is naturally sensitive to changes of temperature and humidity, just as the Charlie Crist’s political convictions are subject to fluctuations in poll numbers.

 - Ornate gold frame made of manufactured wood, similar to the fabricated conservative values of the politician depicted within.

Estimated Value – PRICELESS!

There are still another six days left of bidding, so if a Crist painting is what your home of office needs, don't hold back.

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) got a big laugh on Saturday at a National Republican Senatorial Committee retreat, but his joke definitely wouldn't be funny to some people.

According to a source who attended the meetings, Kyl told the assembled crowd a political version of the classic three-people-in-a-boat joke: "So [President Barack] Obama, [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi [D-Calif.] and [Majority Leader] [Harry] Reid [D-Nev.] are in a row boat, and it springs a leak and starts to sink. Who gets saved?"

Answer: "The American people."

But love it or hate it, it wasn't even Kyl's own joke. The senator poached it from late night TV host Jimmy Kimmel, according to a source.

Kyl's office declined to comment on the quip, which was made during a closed-door strategy speech in Austin, Texas.

The White House also declined to reply to a request for comment.

The Bloomberg/Vanity Fair after party Saturday night promised to bring together a unique mix of politicians and celebrities. And as in years past, the party had more stars than pols. Luckily for Washington readers, the celebrities were happy to talk politics.

Julianna Margulies, who stars as the betrayed wife of a Chicago politician on “The Good Wife,” assured party-goers that her show was “becoming much more political next year.” She wouldn’t reveal any more details, however.

And there wouldn’t be politics without sex. In this case, it was “Sex and the City” stars Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon chattering about their upcoming press tour to promote the sequel to their hit movie.

“Hurt Locker” star Jeremy Renner and “Precious” star Gabourey Sidibe sounded like fans as they discussed how excited they were to be taking a White House tour Sunday.

Hunter Johansson, the twin brother of actress Scarlett Johansson, was there with his sister and discussing his days on the campaign trail. Hunter Johansson worked for the Obama campaign in Colorado during the 2008 presidential election. He’s now a nursing student in New York but said he missed politics.

"Up in the Air" star Anna Kendrick was happy to ham it up with Rosario Dawson.

Missing from the action was New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who left after the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner to return to NYC to deal with the car bomb threat at Times Square. Several of the celebrity guests were down from New York and asking reporters for updates.

And there may have been a galaxy of stars at the French ambassador’s residence Saturday night but there were still some politicians in the crowd. ITK spotted White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), FDIC chairwoman Sheila Bair, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, White House advisers David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, former White House social secretary Desiree Rogers, and deputy White House press secretary Bill Burton.

Jessica Simpson, Gabourey Sidibe, Jeremy Renner, and Kristin Davis received VIP White House tours on Sunday, following the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. The only thing missing from the house tour? The main occupant.

President Barack Obama was in Louisiana all day Sunday, overseeing recovery efforts from the massive BP oil spill.

Had he been home, the stars would likely have gotten at least a handshake, if not a few minutes of chatting with the Commander in Chief. In the past, Obama has met with Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Bruce Springsteen when they visited Washington.

"It's one possibility out of 100, but this vehicle was close to a Viacom building, which owns MTV and Comedy Central," King said Sunday during an appearance on CNN. "And you have the whole issue with 'South Park,' which Islamic terrorists were threatening to have retribution for. So all of these things have to be looked at."

Two episodes of "South Park" sought to depict the Islamic prophet, retreading a similar attempt several years ago, but was censored by Comedy Central for broadcast. Islamic law prohibits depictions of the prophet. The show's creators sought to show an uncensored version online, but were not allowed.

The network censored the broadcast out of security concerns after "Revolution Muslim," an Islamic group based in New York, had warned of retribution over the episode.

There will be dozens of celebrities in Washington this weekend for the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. Assembled from a variety of press releases, here's a convenient spotter's guide to Hollywood actors in town for the dinner, as well as a few directors, producers, and entrepreneurs.

Adrian Grenier

Alec Baldwin

Angela Kinsey

Arianna Huffington

Ashley Greene

Ashley Judd

Barry Levinson, director

Betty White

Bill Maher

Bobby Flay

Bradley Cooper

Chace Crawford

Cheryl Hines

Chris O’Donnell

Dana Delany

David E. Kelley, producer

Dennis Quaid

Elizabeth Moss

Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google

Evan Williams, CEO and founder of Twitter

Ewan McGregor

Fred Armisen

Gabourey Sidibe

J.J. Abrams

Jeremy Piven

Jeremy Renner

Jessica Alba

Jessica Simpson

Jimmy Fallon

John Cusack

Jon Bon Jovi

Judd Apatow

Julianna Margulies

Justin Bieber

Kalpen Modi

Kathryn Bigelow

Katie Couric

Kristin Davis

Lyor Cohen, CEO of Warner Music

Mariska Hargitay

Marlon Wayans

Mary J. Blige

Matthew Morrisson

Michael Douglas

Michelle Pfeiffer

Omar Epps

Richard Schiff

Ryan Seacrest

Scarlett Johansson

Spike Lee, director

Steven Spielberg, director

Steven Weber

The Jonas Brothers

Tom Colicchio

Tory Burch, fashion dsigner

Tracy Morgan

Wendie Malick

Zach Galifianakis

Just in time for outdoor weekends, this Southwestern appetizer from Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) won top prize at the 2010 March of Dimes Gourmet Gala.

Adobo Chicken Tostadas Con Crema

Ingredients:

12 fresh corn tortillas*
1 cup vegetable oil plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
sea salt
3 cups shredded cooked chicken (from one rotisserie chicken, or two cooked chicken breasts)
3 seeded and chopped chipotle peppers from canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plus 3 tablespoons adobo sauce from can, or to taste*
1 28 oz. can plum tomatoes, crushed, reserving liquid
¼ cup chopped onion
2 cloves of chopped garlic
¼ teaspoon of ground oregano
2 avocados
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons softened cream cheese
2 tablespoons “hot” commercially bottled salsa
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 container crème fraiche

Directions:
1. Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a medium heavy skillet until oil is hot, but not smoking.
2. Cut tortillas into quarters and fry a few at a time until both sides are golden.
3. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in medium saucepan and sauté onion until soft.
5. Once onions are soft, add garlic and chipotle peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes, chicken, adobo sauce, oregano, salt to taste, and enough reserved tomato liquid to moisten the chicken mixture. Stir mixture, and cook at low heat for 15-20 minutes. Adjust seasonings.
7. Mash avocados and cream cheese together in small mixing bowl until smooth. Add lemon juice, garlic powder, salsa, and salt to taste. Adjust seasonings.
8. To assemble hors d’oeuvres, place a spoonful of chicken mixture on each tortilla triangle.
9. Place a dollop of the guacamole mixture on top of the chicken mixture triangle.
10. Drizzle each triangle with crème fraiche and enjoy!

*Available at some supermarkets and Latin grocery stores.

- Recipe makes 48 hors d’oeuvres.