Former Va. Gov. McDonnell, wife charged in gifts case
Source: Washington Post
Former Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell and his wife were charged Tuesday with illegally accepting lavish gifts and large loans from a businessman who sought special treatment from state government. McDonnell has denied all wrongdoing.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/former-va-gov-mcdonnell-and-wife-charged-in-gifts-case/2014/01/21/1ed704d2-82cb-11e3-9dd4-e7278db80d86_story.html
Gothmog
(143,999 posts)I am glad that charges have finally been filed.
onehandle
(51,122 posts)edhopper
(33,208 posts)bucolic_frolic
(42,676 posts)elleng
(130,154 posts)Rachel's been waiting for this.
okaawhatever
(9,453 posts)look at the Seigelman case. There doesn't need to be much quid pro quo for a conviction.
Swede Atlanta
(3,596 posts)so while I'm sure the prosecutor believes he/she has a good case I won't believe his conviction until I see it.
Nay
(12,051 posts)because we'd know we'd be on our way to jail, but these bastards (esp pubs in VA, don't give me that shit about this being a purple state) nearly always skate.
okaawhatever
(9,453 posts)a Democrat. Lolz. Suck on that Repubs.
Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)........
In exchange, authorities alleged that the McDonnells worked in concert to lend the prestige of the governorship to Williamss struggling company, a small former cigarette manufacturer that now sells dietary supplements.
The definition of political corruption.
"McDonnell, 59, is the first governor ever to face CRIMINAL charges in a state that has prided itself on a history of relatively ethically clean politics."
Relatively clean until the KockBirchers took over the state thanks to Citizens United and SCOTUS.
alp227
(31,961 posts)Richmond Times-Dispatch: McDonnell, former first lady indicted on multiple counts
Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
Newport News Daily Press
Fox News: No link, because BENGHAZI! THE IRS! FAST AND FURIOUS! COLUMBIA TRANSCRIPTS!
barbtries
(28,702 posts)Christie next?
FSogol
(45,359 posts)AAO
(3,300 posts)wonderful "Christians", too
skydive forever
(443 posts)Shocked, I tell ya! NOT
WHEN CRABS ROAR
(3,813 posts)we weren't allowed to accept any gifts from our vendors, none, period.
I have often wondered why those same rules don't apply to all government employees and elected officials as well.
damyank913
(787 posts)So much for Regent University lawyers...
underpants
(182,279 posts)hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)DallasNE
(7,392 posts)With the messaging issue when still another prominent Republican gets charged. With Vitter likely to be the next Governor of Louisiana it won't get any easier either. Face it Priebus, you have a people problem as well as a message problem so you need to change the people to change the message. And Mayor Zimmer has put Gov. Christie in a world of hurt too. No wonder this is beginning to rub off.
rustbeltvoice
(427 posts)It is save to suppose that most of us that read and comment here are some sort of d/Democrat. I would think that most of us have woke up looked at current events and wondered how did this particular Republican jerk du jour get elected? And that this is a frequent deja vu experience. I often had that thought with Ronnie Reagan, i must have been watching some movie the night before and dreamed..no, shit!..this is real.
Diaper Dave is a sick pervert. Christie is an obnoxious bully. McDonell is a greedy individual. Steve King, Michele Bachmann are outhouse rat crazy. John Cornyn is an evil bastard, and Dick Cheney is diabolic. Priebus is a disgusting, mendacious, slug on rotted tree bark. And practically every Republican starts out with a 40+% share of the vote.
The Republican Party is a danger to the country, and the world. The Republican Party has its supporters that will not be moved by logic, evidence, history or humanity.
Judi Lynn
(160,218 posts)Bob McDonnell, Wife Indicted On Federal Corruption Charges For Accepting Gifts
Posted: 01/21/2014 5:40 pm EST
WASHINGTON -- Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and his wife, Maureen, were indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday on a combined 14 counts related to public corruption stemming from thousands of dollars in gifts and loans received from a top political donor. They could both face prison time.
The indictment comes after a long series of revelations in The Washington Post about how the governor and his wife took gifts from then-Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams. Federal prosecutors accused the governor of taking some $135,000 in gifts and loans from Williams, in addition to "thousands of dollars in golf outings."
The beginning of the allegedly improper relationship with the political donor began in 2009, when Maureen McDonnell asked Williams to cover the cost of her inaugural dress and got angry at one of her husband's staffers when that person said it wasn't a good idea.
"Bob is screaming about the thousands I'm charging up in credit card debt," she allegedly wrote in an email to Williams. "We are broke, have an unconscionable amount in credit card debt already, and this Inaugural is killing us!!" She later allegedly wrote that she couldn't accept the dress but that she would take a "rain check" from the donor.
More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/21/bob-mcdonnell-corruption_n_4639480.html
Judi Lynn
(160,218 posts)Here's A List Of All The Crazy Items Bob McDonnell May Have To Forfeit After Being Indicted
Brett LoGiurato
25 minutes ago
The Justice Department on Tuesday indicted Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and his wife, Maureen, on 14 counts stemming from their acceptance of gifts, luxury vacations, and large loans from a wealthy Virginia businessman.
Included in the indictment is a list of cash and other assorted items the McDonnells received as gifts. They may be forced to forfeit the possessions if they are convicted on offenses alleged in 11 of the counts spelled out in the indictment.
Here's the extensive list:
http://www.businessinsider.com/bob-mcdonnell-indicted-charged-gifts-scandal-star-scientific-2014-1
QuestForSense
(653 posts)Not much doubt for whom that gift was intended. But why did the indictment take so long to come down? If I recall correctly, the allegations began in February 2012.
Judi Lynn
(160,218 posts)Here's Why Bob McDonnell Just Got Indicted
A guide to the corruption charges facing the former Virginia governor and his wife.
By Dana Liebelson and Tim Murphy
| Tue Jan. 21, 2014 3:03 PM GMT
On Tuesday, a federal grand jury indicted former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, on 14 counts related to gifts the couple accepted from a businessman looking to curry favor with the McDonnell administration. McDonnell, whose one term in office expired in early January, was once considered a possible Republican vice presidential candidate before reports of his dealings with businessman Jonnie R. Williams Sr. cast a shadow over his last year-and-half in office.
In a statement, McDonnell apologized for his actions but maintained that he never did anything illegal: "I deeply regret accepting legal gifts and loans from Mr. Williams, all of which have been repaid with interest, and I have apologized for my poor judgment for which I take full responsibility. However, I repeat emphatically that I did nothing illegal for Mr. Williams in exchange for what I believed was his personal generosity and friendship. I never promisedand Mr. Williams and his company never receivedany government benefit of any kind from me or my Administration. We did not violate the law, and I will use every available resource and advocate I have for as long as it takes to fight these false allegations, and to prevail against this unjust overreach of the federal government."
Here's everything you need to know:
Who's Jonnie R. Williams Sr.? Until December, Williams was the CEO of Star Scientific, Inc., a dietary supplements company. The company's main products are Anatablocan anti-inflammatory supplement derived from tobacco plantsand smoking-cessation product CigRx. According to the indictment, Williams forged a friendship with the the McDonnells starting in 2009, when he gave Bob McDonnell use of his private jet during his gubernatorial campaign. McDonnell and Williams soon discovered that they both had a lot in common, according to the Associated Press: They both have large families, started their careers in health services, and honeymooned at the same spot in Maine. This isn't the first time Williams has had a run-in with federal investigators: In 1993, the Securities and Exchange Commission fined him $300,000 for peddling false medical claims.
What kinds of gifts did he give the McDonnells? The lengthy list includes over $100,000 in corporate jet travel; an engraved $6,500 Rolex watch; a $15,000 Bergdorf Goodman shopping spree; a $10,000 engagement gift for the McDonnells' daughter Jeanine; and $15,000 to foot the catering bill for another McDonnell daughter, Cailin. (McDonnell maintains his daughters returned these gifts.) The indictment reveals that the McDonnells had a taste for Louis Vuitton: If convicted, the couple will have to relinquish a number of items made by the high-priced designer, including shoes, a raincoat, a purse, and a wallet.
More:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/01/bob-mcdonnell-scandal-indictment-explained
katmondoo
(6,454 posts)May he continue to suffer and feel what it is like to be humiliated.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,154 posts)peacebird
(14,195 posts)kwassa
(23,340 posts)The Washington Post said this a long time ago:
But there is nothing illegal or unusual about accepting such largesse in the Old Dominion, one of just 10 states that allow officeholders to take personal gifts of unlimited value, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. McDonnells predecessor, Sen. Timothy M. Kaine (D), also received sizable gifts, including an $18,000 Caribbean vacation from a wealthy supporter.
Virginia requires only that officials disclose any gifts worth more than $50. Kaine reported his vacation gift, and McDonnell did the same for the lakeside lodging. But McDonnell did not disclose the wedding payment or his three-hour spin in Williamss $190,000 Ferrari.
McDonnell has said the payment from Williams was a present not to him but to his daughter. The commonwealth does not require officials to disclose gifts to immediate relatives. That loophole, when paired with the lack of dollar limits, gives Virginia one of the most unrestricted gift laws in the nation.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-politics/virginia-has-one-of-nations-most-lax-ethics-laws-for-politicians/2013/04/27/8f1e1218-a774-11e2-a8e2-5b98cb59187f_story.html