There are lots of significant developments in Virginia today. Former Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen have both been indicted for accepting money and gifts while McDonnell was governor. The charges are federal. McDonnell maintains his innocence.
This situation is very embarrassing for Virginia. While it doesn’t appear that any Virginia laws have been broken, the feds feel that federal law has been violated.
On a happier note, at least for me, Democrat Jennifer Wexton has won the special election for the vacant seat created when Mark Herring was declared winner of the Attorney General race. This win is significant because the Democrats will control the Virginia Senate if Lt. Governor Ralph Northam’s former seat is won by a Democrat. A special election will be held.
Congratulations, Jennifer.
He can claim innocence all he wants – Virginia has very lax ethics laws – but the law states that one needs to report the gifts. Bob McDonnell did not report the gifts and even tried to collude to hide the information from disclosure. Selling stock to only purchase 30 days later – to avoid disclosure.
Why did he not disclose – because even he knew it would not pass the sniff test. Transferring money to the Governor and then setting up a meeting the next day with subordinates causes one to wonder if there was a quid pro quo. I do believe Maureen had an envy streak in her – which is at the root of the problems.
I have not said I was sorry she was indicted. Him, yes. Whatever he did, why was he indicted and Cuccinelli not?
Cuccinelli is blasting Chris Christie on politico today.
From the WaPo:
http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/local/timeline-mcdonnells-involvement-with-star-scientific/307/?hpid=z2
I would hang her out to dry.
The part that makes me the angriest is the VRS involvement with Star Scientific. that was NOT random. VRS has no business being involved with some dog crap stocks like Star Scientific. they had been losing money like crazy. The justice department needs to go after that one and hang whoever is responsible from the highest rafters. The amount of money doesn’t matter. a penny is too much.
and lets not forget the ~$100,000 plus that was given to the McDonnell pac and campaign by the same Johnnie Williams. Maureen used the PAC credit card as her own to pay for personal expenses – legal in Virginia. I question those in power that say Bob is a man of integrity.
@Moon-howler
I think Cuccinelli was lucky enough to just accept the gifts without setting up any meetings – although he also purchased stock and failed to report the stock holdings and the gifts. One also has to question Cuccinelli’s integrity – it baffles me why a sitting AG would invest in a company and accept personal gifts from a company that the AG’s office is pursuing in a legal law suit. Surely Johnnie Williams was looking for some sort of leniency with the donations.
I find it interesting that the indictment didn’t come until AFTER McDonnell was no longer in office. Was there some kind of “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” join on here? Was there concern that if he was indicted before it was known that McAuliffe was the winner that this would insure McAuliffe’s win? They will never see a day in prison but surly will pay some fines. There was a rumor going around that the Commonwealth would be covering McDonnell’s legal expenses. Does anyone know for sure? If it is true, why? He was not doing this in the performance of his duties as governor.
I think the indictment was held off almost as a courtesy to McDonnell.
I don’t want them to go to prison.
The moral of the story is not to piss off your cook or marry a greedy woman.
Moon,
The special election to fill LG Northam’s seat was held Jan 7th and is pending a recount. Democrat Lynwood Lewis led Republican Wayne Coleman by less than 10 votes after the canvass.
George Harris,
Now that McDonnell is out of office, and Herring is the LG, the commonwealth will no longer cover the McDonnells legal expenses, nor should it.
Thanks Steve, I posted that article in the middle of the night and I knew something wasn’t right about what I was saying. I changed it once and then was too tired to give a damn. Thanks for making the correction.
What I didn’t say is that regardless of how many Democrats are in there, it doesn’t mean they are all going to vote to suit me. One of them needs to retire. Of course, that is a ‘be careful what you wish for’ situation so I will just not say anything.
I am very upset on many levels about Bob McDonnell. His wife, not so much. While I disagreed, quite vociferously at times, with Bob McDonnell, I also thought he was a decent human being. Maybe I think he is even more decent than I thought. He didn’t throw his wife under the bus when he clearly could have, and maybe should have.
“I am very upset on many levels about Bob McDonnell. His wife, not so much. While I disagreed, quite vociferously at times, with Bob McDonnell, I also thought he was a decent human being. Maybe I think he is even more decent than I thought. He didn’t throw his wife under the bus when he clearly could have, and maybe should have.”
Moon,
After having read the indictment (and fully understanding that these are accusations yet to be proven) I am quite upset. I’ll share my reasons over a cuppa some day soon.
I would be interested in hearing. I certainly hope Mr. Jonnie doesn’t escape unscathed.
I’m going to be the contrarian here and say that I’m not upset.
This is small-scale stuff. Analogous to Obama accepting the house next door to his as a gift. Analogous to Hillary’s stock tips.
Far short of the kind of stuff that affects our lives in a larger sense – Bush 41’s involvement with the Carlyle Group. Bush 43 starting a war under false pretense that his friends profited from. Dick Cheney making every crony of his a wealthy man. All legal, all extremely sleazy.
Or, the kind of thing that we’re seeing laid out in New Jersey.
This is small change. This is a penny we throw into the penny cup.
I’m not saying he’s fot for office. I’m not saying that he shouldn’t be prosecuted. Just that it doesn’t get my blood flowing at all.
It doesn’t get mine flowing either. Nor does NJ or any of that other stuff.
Now, some local stuff gets my blood flowing…like some of the lies I have been told about others. But that will come out when it will hurt the most.
New Jersey gets mine flowing. That’s way out of control, literally using the instruments of government against the taxpayers.
I don’t think anything has been proven yet. And we ARE talking about New Jersey. Surely you have heard of their reputation?
@Steve Thomas
Thanks Steve.
Very colorful article here about the McDonnels – http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/the-chef-who-brought-down-bob-mcdonnell-tells-all/
@Moon-howler
Thanks, Moon! You’re as good as Aesop when it comes to morals. 🙂
Sure seems as if the wife wanted to be something she was not.
@Moon: From the outside looking in, it seems that Jonnie Williams made a deal with the prosecution. Some of these deals alleged in the indictment are ones that only a very few folks would have known about. It sort of reads like JW’s version of events if he’s trying to save his hide. We’ll learn over time whether the allegations are true – they may well be. Nonetheless, when you say that you hope that Williams shoulders some of the blame here, it may be that he already made his deal and that it may or may not mean some time for him. I don’t see how one could gain a conviction against a recipient of an unlawful gratuity without making the payor responsible for doing some time.
The only thing I can think of is that Jonnie W wasn’t the governor.
I am still on a slow burn over VRS. There is just no way the Star Scientific stock was random. I will never believe it. If it ownership of that stock was not random, then all of VRS needs to be revamped. Why would a pension fund that can buy into the most prestigious of hedge funds because of its sheer volume be dealing with some little dip-sh!t company like Star Scientific? That makes zero sense.
Read the indictment. The shopping spree his wife took in New York paid for by JW comes to five figures! The governor has the gall to claim that he and JW were just buddies. BS! Their thinking that we voters are stupid enough to believe him does get under my skin.
Mrs. McD told prosecutors that they were long time friends. I don’t think so. I have no use for her. Rumor has it that she also abused her staff. there was no loyalty.
Another moral here….don’t abuse your staff and then expect loyalty.
I just see her in a totally different light than I do him. I see him as having some class, even though we would disagree on many things. Her, not so much.
It will be interesting to see if they make it as a couple after all this. I would have thrown her under the bus. he did not, which attests to his class.
It seems significant (at least to me) that it’s not like the Governor and Williams were old school chums or anything like that. They had no relationship with each other before 2009, as I understand it.
No school tie. I agree, Scout.