Rep. Todd Rutherford on Wednesday blasted House colleagues for, he believes, letting Gov. Mark Sanford off the hook for misconduct.

During a House Judiciary Committee meeting to debate impeachment or censure of Sanford, Rutherford harangued colleagues for more than 15 minutes, calling the panel collectively "the idiots that (Sanford) makes us out to be."

In particular, Rutherford criticized what he felt was a shallow, cursory review by a House panel.

"You idiots can't do any better than to meet four times to talk about something as serious as impeachment," Rutherford said, calling the process a "kangaroo court."

Rutherford said he represented a state employee who was sent to jail for improperly billing a client, and that lawmakers were allowing Sanford off the hook because he repaid $3,300 for a 2008 trade trip that some feel was a cover to conduct an extramarital affair.

"You should be offended, because I am," Rutherford said.

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