The McScoundrels run up the legal bills

These people just seem to keep costing the taxpayers even more money.  Guess who is paying for McDonnell’s private lawyers?

Washingtonpost.com:

RICHMOND — The private law firm hired to represent Gov. Robert F. McDonnell and his staff in the embezzlement case against the former chef at the governor’s mansion has billed Virginia nearly $54,000 for its first five weeks of work, according to documents  released Monday.

About $24,000 of the bill was for legal work performed on behalf of McDonnell (R), said Tony Troy, the firm’s lead attorney on the matter. The remainder was for representation provided to McDonnell’s  staff and for handling Freedom of Information requests related to the case, Troy said.

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II appointed Troy’s firm, Richmond-based Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, to represent McDonnell and his office because the attorney general had conflicts of interest related to the chef case. The attorney general ordinarily would represent the governor and state employees.

The felony embezzlement case against chef Todd Schneider is at the root of a gifts scandal swirling around McDonnell, with federal and state investigations probing his relationship to wealthy businessman Jonnie R. Williams Sr.  After Schneider was accused of pilfering food from the mansion, he turned whistle-blower, alerting authorities to gifts that Williams had provided to the McDonnell family, including $15,000 for a wedding reception that the chef had catered at the mansion.

McDonnell and his family have accepted luxury items, monetary gifts and loans from Williams, a nutritional supplement maker whose product was promoted by the governor and first lady Maureen McDonnell. Last week McDonnell apologized for the scandal and announced that he had repaid $120,000 in loans.

McDonnell has a private legal team, financed with a legal defense fund, working on his  behalf in the ongoing federal and state investigations.

Troy’s firm is being paid for by taxpayers to represent the governor and his staff in their  official capacities in the chef’s case and matters arising from it.

So has McDonnell cooked his national goose or what?  None of this  would have happened if McDonnell and his wife hadn’t cozied up to Jonnie Williams.  Where is he now?  He seems to be keeping a low profile at this point.

Will the McDonnell scandal spill over to the Cuccinelli campaign or will Cuccinelli come out unscathed in contrast.  (he didn’t accept as many gifts as the McDonnell’s did.)

Just out of curiosity, what does Pat Robertson, former mentor, have to say about all this?  How much of  that thesis paper that attracted so much attention in the 2009 election has come to pass?  I would say we were all on to something.

What gift will we have from the McScoundrels tomorrow?  The McScoundrels keep on giving and giving and giving.  It looks like all the chickens are coming home to roost.