THE ISSUE: Former Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer

OUR OPINION: Ex-aide takes principled stand against kiss-and-tell book

Joel Sawyer may not be a household name in South Carolina, but he could quickly become widely known should he go the route of writing a book about his experiences as spokesman for Gov. Mark Sanford.

South Carolinians will remember that Sawyer was the person thrust out front to explain where Sanford was in those hours and days in which reports had it that he was “getting away,” hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Some have questioned just how much Sawyer and others in the administration knew about Sanford’s whereabouts, although it appears now that Sanford in fact had made sure even those closest to him in the government did not know he was in Argentina with a woman he subsequently called his “soul mate.”

When Sanford returned to the Atlanta airport to be met by a reporter, the entire saga that has led many to call for the governor’s resignation and some to seek impeachment began to unfold. In the months since the Argentina trip, Sanford has been accused of dereliction of duty in leaving the state for days without being able to be contacted, plus the governor is a target of an ethics probe about use of state aircraft and travel expenses.

Through some of the most testing days of the Sanford story, the man out front in speaking, when the governor was not, was Joel Sawyer. Some of the stories he surely could tell.

Many may expect Sawyer to tell those stories now that he is no longer working for the governor. But it looks as if the closest a curious public will get is Sawyer’s printed explanation about why he will not be writing a so-called kiss-and-tell book.

Writing for the online Ripon Forum, Sawyer explains that while he may be expected to author such a book, his rejection of the idea may be as unusual as the Sanford matter himself.

“An inside-perspective novel after a public implosion is just as much a part of the formula these days as the scripted public confession alongside the wronged-but-supportive spouse. Incidentally, it doesn’t look like any of those conventions will end up being followed in the Sanford case,” Sawyer wrote.

“So as much as I would love for people to associate me with the picture from my book jacket rather than the picture of me literally pulling my former employer away from a podium and a media scrum, that’s going to have to wait.”

Sawyer explains that he does not believe it is right for him or others in similar cases to write books exploiting their former positions.

“Why does the desire to tell people ‘the whole story’ only hit once someone has left an administration or a campaign? Pardon the cynicism, but I have a hard time buying the high-minded talk of transparency and openness from many who’ve written such projects.”

So do we, appreciating Sawyer’s take that revealing information about malfeasance or wrongdoing would be a different matter. Should he have knowledge of any such, it would be his obligation to come forward — but not in a tell-all book.

And Sawyer is right that while he worked for the taxpayers, he in fact was an appointee of an elected official who must answer to the public. “If those same taxpayers decide that they’re not happy with what decisions are being made and how those decisions are being made, that’s what the ballot box is for ...”

Joel Sawyer may yet be put in the position of telling about his experiences on the inside of the Sanford administration, particularly during the trying times of 2009. But don’t bet on it.

Consider more his words: “As old fashioned as it sounds, I also believe in the idea that you ought to treat someone how you would want to be treated in similar circumstances. If someone places their trust in you, you’re faced with a clear choice of either validating or violating that trust.”

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