Frankly, it has been entertaining to watch the festering of Bob McDonnell's self-inflicted political wounds. The greed and sense of entitlement - especially on the part of Maureen McDonnell - has been shocking. The only down side has been that the scandal has not hit Ken Cuccinelli - Virginia's would be Adolph Hitler like figure - harder. Kookinelli is just as dirty as McDonnell and only received less generosity from Williams because he doesn't wield the power the governor holds in Virginia. Now, Bob "Taliban Bob" or "Rolex Bob" McDonnell and erstwhile buddy and lavish gift giver Jonnie R. Williams, Sr., seem poised to go for each others throats. A column in Bacon's Rebellion looks at this turn of events. Here are excerpts:
You know something bad is up when Gov. Robert F. McDonnell starts turning on his gift-giving pal Jonnie R. Williams Sr. of Star Scientific and federal prosecutors.
On Friday, the troubled dietary supplement maker filed securities documents saying that the firm has been told by federal prosecutors that it would not be charged criminally in their probe of McDonnell’s acceptance of gifts and loans.
Rich Galen, the Sherpa McDonnell has hired to get him through the scandal, has said that the feds are giving Williams “a free pass” which apparently means that Williams will turn state’s evidence against McDonnell. And that apparently means that the chances of McDonnell’s being indicted are higher, not lower.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Galen “contrasted” McDonnell’s 37 years of public service with Williams, whom Galen said “has been in trouble with government entities since the earliest days of his business career.”
Now that is a mouthful. And it is very strange given that McDonnell, who told me that he has known Williams for five or six years, has been such a close personal friend with Williams that he has accepted $165,000 in gifts and loans from him, has stayed at his lakeside vacation home, his wife has flown around in his airplane and has gotten a New York City shopping spree (including a $6,5000 Rolex for Bob). The McDonnells have given the goodies back.
Now it seems that McDonnell is going on the campaign trail this week to prop his reputation. One would think he might be going on the hustings to help Cuccinelli. But, no, Cuccinelli is trying to distance himself as much as he can from McDonnell even though Cuccinelli got $18,000 in gifts from Williams. Unlike the governor, the attorney general is not giving them back.
Chris LaCivita, a Cuccinelli advisor, actually gave this bizarre explanation for Cuccinelli’s decision to keep the stuff. The attorney general has seven kids and has to manage his family budget. Ethical transgressions are acceptable if you have a lot of children. Who knew?
The upshot is that McDonnell appears to be in very deep trouble with the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s office.
Seven kids, and it still didn't turn Cuccinelli straight. The man is a slime and a closet case.
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