Sanford & Sons

Sanford was not hiking along the Appalachian Trail, as his staff indicated earlier this week. Instead, the governor was actually in Argentina, he told a newspaper. He was even away from home on Father's Day, abandoning his wife Jenny and his four sons.

But Wednesday afternoon the governor finally explained more details, revealing that he had been in an extramarital affair with an Argentinian woman. That would explain why his wife told reporters earlier this week that she did not know her husband's whereabouts when questioned by reporters.

"I've been unfaithful to my wife," Sanford told a news conference on Wednesday. "I developed a relationship with what started as a dear, dear friend from Argentina." The governor said he is "a bottom-line kind of guy" and vowed to "lay it out" while admitting "it's going to hurt, and we'll let the chips fall as they may."

Also on Wednesday, South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler said it was the "height of irresponsibility for the governor to walk out on his solemn duty to the people of South Carolina." In a statement, Fowler said: "When it comes to the real needs and concerns of South Carolinians, Mark Sanford has been pretty much missing in action for the last six-and-a-half years. But it is not acceptable for him to be actually missing."

"However, as disturbing as it is to walk out on your responsibilities without telling anyone, what's more troubling is that the governor and his staff have been less than truthful about his whereabouts," the statement added.

(Story updated at 3:45 p.m. EDT)