COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford says she may be able to forgive her husband's much-publicized affair, but true reconciliation will take more time.

FILE 2006/The Associated Press

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who has admitted an affair, has been separated from his wife, Jenny, for weeks.

In a statement e-mailed to reporters Thursday, Jenny Sanford called her husband's behavior inexcusable but said she may be able to give him another chance. It was her first public remark since Gov. Mark Sanford told The Associated Press that Maria Belen Chapur is his soul mate but he is trying to fall back in love with his wife.

"Forgiveness opens the door for Mark to begin to work privately, humbly and respectfully toward reconciliation with me," she said. "However, to achieve true reconciliation will take time, involve repentance, and will not be easy."

Mark Sanford's spokesman, Joel Sawyer, said the governor will travel Friday to be with his family in Florida, where his in-laws live.

The embattled Republican brushed aside calls for his resignation as state law enforcement officials announced that an investigation found he had used no taxpayer money on trips to New York and Argentina where he saw Chapur.

Jenny Sanford found out about the affair in January, but it didn't become public until Mark Sanford announced it at an emotional news conference last week following a secret trip to Buenos Aires. His wife told The Associated Press that he had repeatedly asked permission to go to Argentina to visit his mistress, but she said no. He went anyway, telling his staff he was planning to hike the Appalachian Trail.

The Sanfords have been separated for several weeks. In her statement Thursday, Jenny Sanford offered no opinion on her husband's political future, saying it is up to South Carolina voters and elected officials to decide whether they can "give Mark another chance."

"Mark showed a lack of judgment in his recent actions as governor," she said. "However, his far more egregious offenses were committed against God, the institutions of marriage and family, our boys and me."

Sawyer would not say where the Sanfords will stay in Florida or how long they will be together.

Sanford has already given the state treasurer two personal checks totaling $3,300 to pay for part of the 2008 economic development trip. He saw Chapur four times after that – the most recent trip to Argentina, plus three visits in New York in between. The last of those, with a spiritual adviser, was sanctioned by Jenny Sanford and was supposed to be the last time Mark Sanford and Chapur saw each other.

Though law enforcement has cleared Sanford, he is likely to face more fallout from his recent revelations. Publisher Sentinel, a dedicated conservative imprint within Penguin Group (USA) Inc., announced Thursday that it has terminated Sanford's deal to write a book on fiscal conservatism.

But most difficult, his wife said, will be making things right with her and their four sons.

"Actions have consequences and he will be dealing with those consequences for a long while," Jenny Sanford said. "Trust has been broken and will need to be rebuilt. Mark will need to earn back that trust, first and foremost with his family, and also with the people of South Carolina."

Meg Kinnard,

The Associated Press

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