Wife had told Sanford to shun lover

Mrs. Sanford cried at the end of the interview and said the couple have been to counseling.

About an hour after Mrs. Sanford talked of her pain and feelings of betrayal, her husband brushed aside any suggestion he might immediately resign, citing the Bible and the story of King David, who continued to lead after sleeping with another man’s wife, Bathsheba, having the husband slain, then marrying the widow.

“What I find interesting is the story of David, and the way in which he fell mightily — fell in very, very significant ways - but then picked up the pieces and built from there,” Mr. Sanford told members of his Cabinet in a session called so he could apologize to them in person and tell them the business of government must continue.