Both Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell and Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli make a point of wearing their supposed religiosity on their sleeves, yet the unfolding picture is one of greed and corruption that one would more expect among the mafia. Both accepted lavish gifts from Jonnie R. Williams and now the Inspector General's office is investigating whether Cuccinelli's office gave improper legal advice to private litigants one of which is an affiliate of a corporation that just happened to give Cuccinelli $100,000. Even the conservative Richmond Times Dispatch is slamming Cuccinelli for what looks like improprieties on a major scale. Here are editorial excerpts:
Politically explosive investigations in Virginia are proliferating at a rate that makes bunny rabbits look almost celibate. The latest inquiry concerns the Office of the Attorney General.
State Inspector General Michael Morehart is looking into whether one of the lawyers in that office was out of bounds when she gave legal advice to a private company embroiled in a dispute with Virginia landowners over mineral rights. Sharon Pigeon’s emails to attorneys for Consol Energy were unusual enough to draw a sharp rebuke from a federal magistrate.
This would qualify as embarrassing news for Ken Cuccinelli under any circumstances. But its potential to hurt the Republican’s gubernatorial chances is magnified by two facts. First, Consol has given hefty sums to his campaign war chest. Second, Cuccinelli was briefed on the case by senior staff. That doesn’t mean he knew about, let alone directed, Pigeon’s activity. But it does make any claim of ignorance on his part a more difficult sell.
After nutritional supplement-maker Star Scientific sued Virginia in a dispute over taxes, Cuccinelli (a) bought stock in Star Scientific, then sold it for a profit, and (b) used the vacation home of CEO Jonnie Williams Sr. – and did not recuse his office until publicly pressured to do so.
There’s also the lingering odor from the case of U.S. Navy Veterans Association, a “charity” investigated by several states. The group’s founder and leader, John Donald Cody, went by the name Bobby Thompson, and – before he went on the lam – contributed to numerous Virginia politicians, Cuccinelli in particular. He now faces trial on felony theft and money-laundering charges.
None of this implies any sort of illegality on Cuccinelli’s part. But it may suggest a level of coziness between the attorney general and his benefactors that does little good to the public, and that voters might find alarming. They also might wonder why Cuccinelli seems to take the long way around to the right decision.
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