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Ex-Governor Bob McDonnell on SCOTUS overturning his conviction
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-governor-bob-mcdonnell-on-scotus-overturning-his-conviction-2/“I feel vindicated,” the former Virginia governor tells 60 Minutes, despite Chief Justice John Roberts describing his public corruption case as “tawdry tales”
In the wake of last fall's elections, we've heard lots of talk of draining the swamp, of corruption and influence peddling, but amid all the heated discourse, you might have missed an important political story that is reverberating across the country and that we first reported in April.
"I listened to 19 guilty verdicts for my wife and me. And all I could do was sob." Bob McDonnell
It's the case of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, who was an up-and-coming Republican star with a squeaky clean image and a record of promoting job growth. But his political career exploded in scandal worthy of a soap opera when he was convicted of public corruption and sentenced to two years in federal prison. He fought the charges all the way to the United States Supreme Court -- wracking up a hefty legal bill of $27 million. It turned out to be worth it. The Supreme Court reversed his conviction in a controversial and far-reaching ruling – but not without a hitch. Chief Justice John Roberts described the case as "tawdry tales."
Tonight, looking no worse for wear, Bob McDonnell, talks about the case and the moment his world came crashing down when a Richmond jury returned a verdict against him.
Bob McDonnell: I listened to 19 guilty verdicts for my wife and me. And all I could do was sob.
Bill Whitaker: You broke down?
Bob McDonnell: Ah. That's all I could do, Bill. At that point, I was a convicted felon with a criminal record who was going to lose my law license, my right to vote, my passport, my reputation and other liberties. And my life was never going to quite be the same.
Bob McDonnell was one of the most popular Virginia governors in recent history. In 2012, he made the short list of Mitt Romney's possible running mates. But in a stunning fall from grace, in 2014, just 10 days after leaving office, McDonnell and his wife Maureen were indicted, then convicted by a jury of conspiracy and bribery. They had accepted $177,000 from a local businessman in personal loans and gifts presented as evidence in court: golf bags and clubs, luxury family vacations, the use of a Ferrari, $20,000 of designer clothes for Maureen and a Rolex watch for the governor. McDonnell appealed his guilty verdict up to the Federal Court of Appeals – and lost twice. But then his conviction was reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court last fall.
Bob McDonnell: The worst at all was the-- the-- the belief that much of the public, and much of the nation looked at this, and think, "There's another corrupt politician." . . .
In the wake of last fall's elections, we've heard lots of talk of draining the swamp, of corruption and influence peddling, but amid all the heated discourse, you might have missed an important political story that is reverberating across the country and that we first reported in April.
"I listened to 19 guilty verdicts for my wife and me. And all I could do was sob." Bob McDonnell
It's the case of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, who was an up-and-coming Republican star with a squeaky clean image and a record of promoting job growth. But his political career exploded in scandal worthy of a soap opera when he was convicted of public corruption and sentenced to two years in federal prison. He fought the charges all the way to the United States Supreme Court -- wracking up a hefty legal bill of $27 million. It turned out to be worth it. The Supreme Court reversed his conviction in a controversial and far-reaching ruling – but not without a hitch. Chief Justice John Roberts described the case as "tawdry tales."
Tonight, looking no worse for wear, Bob McDonnell, talks about the case and the moment his world came crashing down when a Richmond jury returned a verdict against him.
Bob McDonnell: I listened to 19 guilty verdicts for my wife and me. And all I could do was sob.
Bill Whitaker: You broke down?
Bob McDonnell: Ah. That's all I could do, Bill. At that point, I was a convicted felon with a criminal record who was going to lose my law license, my right to vote, my passport, my reputation and other liberties. And my life was never going to quite be the same.
Bob McDonnell was one of the most popular Virginia governors in recent history. In 2012, he made the short list of Mitt Romney's possible running mates. But in a stunning fall from grace, in 2014, just 10 days after leaving office, McDonnell and his wife Maureen were indicted, then convicted by a jury of conspiracy and bribery. They had accepted $177,000 from a local businessman in personal loans and gifts presented as evidence in court: golf bags and clubs, luxury family vacations, the use of a Ferrari, $20,000 of designer clothes for Maureen and a Rolex watch for the governor. McDonnell appealed his guilty verdict up to the Federal Court of Appeals – and lost twice. But then his conviction was reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court last fall.
Bob McDonnell: The worst at all was the-- the-- the belief that much of the public, and much of the nation looked at this, and think, "There's another corrupt politician." . . .
I don't know what makes me angrier. That he won't admit what a corrupt POS that he is or that this interview is his attempt to start to rehabilitate his image.
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"God has forgiven me, why can't you?"