Mark Sanford Is Accused of Trespassing by Ex-Wife

Mark Sanford, the former governor of South Carolina who is now a Congressional candidate, pushed back on Wednesday after court documents revealed that his ex-wife had accused him of trespassing at her house.

Jenny Sanford, filed a complaint with police on Feb. 4 after she found Mr. Sanford leaving her house on Sullivan’s Island, according to The Associated Press. The couple’s 2010 divorce agreement says neither may enter the other’s house without permission.

Mr. Sanford said Wednesday he had been watching the Super Bowl with his 14-year-old son that night, while Ms. Sanford was out of town. “As a father I didn’t think he should watch it alone,” he said in a statement through his campaign. “It’s an unfortunate reality that divorced couples sometimes have disagreements that spill over into family court.”

Mr. Sanford is in the midst of a comeback campaign. In 2009 he confessed to an affair with an Argentine woman after he had lied about his whereabouts, and he served out the rest of his term as governor until 2011.

Polls show Mr. Sanford is in a close race with his Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Colbert Busch, to represent the Congressional district that surrounds Charleston. Ms. Colbert Busch’s campaign declined to comment on the trespassing accusations.

Mr. Sanford is scheduled to appear before a family court judge on May 9, two days after the special election.

National Republicans said they were caught off guard by Tuesday’s report. The National Republican Congressional Campaign had debated spending millions on Mr. Sanford’s campaign but said Wednesday it would no longer donate any money. The group is keeping up a web site, www.WordswithElizabeth.com, that tries to paint her as a liberal.

“Mark Sanford has proven he knows what it takes to win elections,” said Daniel Scarpinato, a spokesman. “At this time, the NRCC will not be engaged in this special election. ”

The Associated Press reported that the complaint filed by Ms. Sanford’s lawyer, Deena Smith McRackan, said that Mr. Sanford “entered into a pattern of entering onto plaintiff’s property. Plaintiff has informed defendant on a number of occasions that this behavior is in violation of the court’s order and has demanded that it not occur again.”

Ms. Sanford told reporters on Wednesday that she did not intend the complaint to be leaked to the press. But Mr. Sanford questioned how the documents had become public.

“I am particularly curious how records that were sealed to avoid the boys dealing with embarrassment are now somehow exposed less than three weeks before this election,” he said in the statement. “I agree with Jenny that the media is no place to debate what is ultimately a family court matter.”