© Washington PostMcDonnell, wife charged in federal corruption probe: Former Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were charged with illegally accepting gifts, luxury vacations and large loans from a wealthy Richmond-area businessman.
Former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were
charged Tuesday with illegally
accepting gifts,
luxury vacations and
large loans from a wealthy Richmond area businessman who sought special treatment from state government.
Authorities allege that for nearly two years, the McDonnells repeatedly asked executive Jonnie R. Williams Sr. for loans and gifts of money, clothes, golf fees and equipment, trips, and private plane rides. The gifts and loans totaled at least $165,000.
In exchange, authorities allege, the McDonnells worked in concert to lend the prestige of the governor's office to Williams's struggling company, Star Scientific, a former small cigarette manufacturer that now sells dietary supplements.
McDonnell, 59, is the first governor ever to face criminal charges in Virginia, a state that has prided itself on a history of clean and ethical politics, and the charges will probably accelerate a push for the legislature to tighten state ethics laws.
The criminal prosecution marks a stunning crash for a politician who was considered for the Republican vice presidential nomination in 2012 and who, just a year ago, was considered a credible prospective candidate for president.
The
43-page, 14-count indictment adds new details to a story line of largess that was first
recounted by The Washington Post in March. It depicts an elected official in financial trouble who sought help from a businessman with something to gain.
McDonnell and his legal team immediately denounced the charges and said prosecutors overstepped their authority. In an unprecedented televised public appearance Tuesday night, McDonnell said, " I come before you this evening as someone who has been falsely and wrongfully accused and whose public service has been wrongfully attacked."
He went on to insist, "I repeat again, emphatically, that I did nothing illegal for Mr. Williams."
Comment: Could it be more clear as to who directs the show in America?