RICHMOND — Former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell (R) and his wife on Tuesday unveiled an unorthodox defense to the federal corruption charges against them: Maureen McDonnell had a “crush” on the charismatic executive who lavished gifts and cash on the couple.
Maureen McDonnell’s intense — even romantic — interest in Jonnie R. Williams Sr. helps explain why she let him pay for expensive shopping trips and vacations for her and her family while she promoted a nutritional supplement he was trying to sell, defense attorneys said during opening statements. She was not hatching a scheme with her husband to get rich by abusing the prestige of the governor’s office; rather, she was a woman in a broken marriage who craved attention.
“Jonnie Williams was larger than life to Maureen McDonnell,” said William Burck, Maureen McDonnell’s lead defense attorney. “But unlike the other man in her life, Jonnie Williams paid attention to Maureen McDonnell.”
And the governor, his defense attorneys said, was an honest public servant who promised Williams nothing of consequence. They said he would take the witness stand to proclaim his innocence even if that required him to lay bare his family’s troubles and discuss his wife’s dealings with another man.
“Bob McDonnell is an innocent man,” said John Brownlee, one of his lead defense attorneys. He said that his client had intended only to promote a Virginia company and that the great lengths prosecutors had gone to prove otherwise — including flying to California to interview former presidential candidate Mitt Romney — had been unsuccessful.
Oh dear God! Tell me it isn’t true. How freaking pathetic. Governor Ultra-Sound and his wife First Lady “Hot-Pants” are going to have Virginians as the laughing stock of late night comedy TV. Rachel Maddow will skewer us. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I sure don’t want to miss a single word of this trial with all its salacious intrigue.
Actually I heard about a year ago that the Governor’s wife had a giggle-girl crush on Mr. Jonnie Williams. Oh cut it, Moon. I heard she was having an affair with him. I thought…nah….too convenient. The ex Redskinette likes the rich boy while Governor Ultra-sound from Pat Robertson’s Regency U keeps his boyish good looks intact and his choir boy image clean???
Hell, they are admitting to it in public. He must want to squeak out of this one pretty darn bad to admit this embarrassment in public. Truthfully, I believe every word of it. I don’t think McDonnell is corrupt. I just think he is a fool. I don’t think he did anything illegal, just unethical. I think this is a classic case of a wife who felt neglected and wanted her own attention and piece of the pie in her post Redskinette days. Wives of powerful men often have to take a backseat to their husband’s accomplishments. Maureen was having none of that. She succumbed to charm, money and greed which compromised her goody-two-shoes husband’s political position for all time. I expect he was just a good-natured Rube who went along to keep his wife happy. McDonnell isn’t the first man to have things blow up because of an ambitious and greedy wife.
Maureen is to blame for much of what happened, but Bob went along with it, even though he knew what was going on. He accepted an unreported business loan to his real estate company and failed to disclose the debt. I sure would like someone to lend me some money that I did not have to report for my real estate business. Are we to believe that they were in dire financial straits yet she was able to get him a rolex watch? Really? Cucchinelli was on the same band wagon, but was able to retroactively disclose the gifts – why are they allowed to retroactively report after the investigation has begun?
The stock stuff needs to be investigated – VRS bought Star Scientific, as did Ken and Maureen/Bob – and Maureen/Bob tried to get stock placed in their name, but did not want disclosure – if he thought everything was on the up and up, why did he try to circumvent disclosure?
You have re-convinced me, Pat. I was trying to cut him a break.
The Star Scientific buy by VRS is about as suspicious as 3 day old fish. It stinks. Star Sc. just isn’t investment quality stock–not at the VRS level.
I think Cuccinelli is just as unethical. I am not sure why he isn’t more caught up than he is. I guess he is just slicker that Bob.
So twisted…I don’t believe too much of this…blame her? Political marriages can sometimes be more of a team effort than what we mere mortals know.
Don’t you think she was just a little grabby, Lyssa?
Jonnie W. just has scumbag written all over him though.
I think Pat is about right. However, guys like Bob make life hard for honest public servants. It’s an embarrassment and the GA took a pass on more comprehensive reform this year.
Hey Bob, you want a Rolex? Go earn the money and buy your own damn watch.
Standing ovation for AndyH! I can’t disagree with you.
I blame the general assembly for a lot of this problem. From what I have read, McDonnell broke no Virginia laws. He did behave unethically though. The GA could fix that in a heartbeat, but they don’t want to.
Wild.
And this is from the family values crowd.
I happen to think McDonnell was a much better than the run of the mill Virginia governor. I also doubt that Williams got much or anything of value from his lavish spending on the McDonnells other than proximity. But, Lordie, how completely foolish both Bob and Maureen were to let this guy insinuate himself into their midst. Even with an acquittal (or two acquittals) much of the accomplishment of the McDonnell administration will be obscured by the sheer sleaze factor of this guy worming his way into their family life.
He took himself off the atta boy list when he became Governor Ultra-sound. He got led down the path of no return on that one also.
I don’t disagree with you about allowing Jonnie into their midst though.
Not convinced it isn’t a ploy.
Who would say all that about themselves if it weren’t true?
Don’t tell me our ex Guv is going to slut-shame his wife as his defense. This trial will be a hoot!
I actually also thought McDonnell was a pretty good governor, ultra-sound notwithstanding, but my, my- how far he has fallen! From a credible presidential candidate to his own Kardashian/Housewives of New Jersey show.
I don’t know if this “loveless marriage/tawdry affair” defense will work, but how demeaning for the governor, his wife, and the Commonwealth. Win or lose, he is now and forever a loser in the public’s eye. His continued lack of judgement is breathtaking.
So long, Bob. Good luck as a historical asterisk.
I think Bob was a little above average as a gov. He made some smart moves. He did govern, more often than not, as a moderate R. He did get the transportation stuff done and he did help get the ultrasound requirement reduced. However, we did spend about a couple of weeks as a national laughing stock on the Daily Show before anything got done about it.
He also signed the TRAP laws and didn’t call off Cuccinelli when he went after the state folks who wee going to grandfather in existing clinics.
One of the best things McDonnell did was say no to Common Core. He took the advice of the State Superintendent and just said no. Patricia Wright is one of the best math teachers on the face of the earth. She was correct to advise the governor to say NO.
@ Moon: Your point on the ultrasound is a fair one. That was absolutely barmy. Nonetheless, I still think he served the people of the Commonwealth well in his administration of the office. As the trial progresses, I continue to be appalled, however. It seems no one in that family had any internal voice telling him/her that they were being completely grabby. Kids asking Williams for cars (assuming that testimony holds up), Mom asking for cars for kids, jet rides all over creation, baubles, bangles and beads etc. etc. It seems like the only one in the family who might have had some reservations was the Governor. There was testimony that he told his son that he ought to return some golf clubs. Of course, the kid didn’t do that.
Sheesh.
The grabbiness just makes me suck air. Definitely grabby in a low class way. You have to wonder if he was aware of a lot of it. Some probably but not all.
“Truthfully, I believe every word of it. I don’t think McDonnell is corrupt. I just think he is a fool. I don’t think he did anything illegal, just unethical.”
In this case the unethical IS illegal. Clearly stated in Virginia and Federal Law, there’s no way around the facts. McDonnells’ only defense at this point is to sugar coat it into something that doesn’t seem as bad as it looks. The broken marriage bit is his attempt to do just that.
I don’t think that McDonnell did break Virginia law. I find fault with that with the state. The legislators seemed reluctant to tight up on themselves.
From what I’ve gleaned from all this, it’s ok for the governor to take unlimited gifts, but not to provide any services in return. That alone is pretty amazing, since Virginia state employees are limited by policy to not accepting gifts over $25.00 in value.
It seems that the meetings that were arranged between Williams and state officials, the endorsements of Maureen (and Bob) and the promotion held in the Governors mansion with the governor present would fit the definition of services. I’m guessing that’s why McDonnell’s attorneys concocted the desperately silly “Maureen had a crush” defense to try to shield Bob from what he did.