Friday, August 01, 2014

There Are No Innocents in the McDonnell Corruption Trial


After taking positions that have made Virginia a laughing stock and earned him nicknames such as "Taliban Bob" and "Governor Ultrasound" former GOP governor Bob McDonnell continue to put Virginia in the tabloid headlines as the federal criminal corruption trial of McDonnell and wife Maureen continues like more episodes reruns of Dallas or Dynasty from the 1980's.  Sadly, as a column in the Washington Post notes, there are few, if any, innocent players in the sordid saga of greed and political bribes.  The bottom line is that Bob and Maureen McDonnell knew better, but tossed integrity aside.  Here are column excerpts that looks at the tawdry storyline:
There are no innocents among the star characters in Courtroom 7000, where the former governor of Virginia and his wife are standing trial in a federal public-corruption case.

The prime players are all manipulators — the helmet-haired politician who once aspired to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.; his striving, ex-cheerleader wife; and the fast-talking nutritional supplement entrepreneur.

On Wednesday, the rapt gaze of former Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell followed Jonnie Ray Williams, a former car salesman turned nutraceutical entrepreneur, as he strode across the courtroom and took the witness stand for the first time. I was waiting for her to clasp her hands together and moon, “Oh, Jonnie,” or maybe blow him a kiss.

Her puppy crush is a sad act scripted to avoid jail time for allegedly selling the prestige of the governor’s office in exchange for the Rolex on her husband’s wrist, the Ferrari joy ride, the private jet trips, the $70,000 life raft to save a real estate investment, the vacation at the lake house, the help with a daughter’s wedding, the fancy golf gear and the rounds of golf Bob McDonnell and his sons played at $300 a pop.

No wonder one of the jurors got sick in the middle of the trial this week. 

It’s no secret that the picture-perfect political families we see on campaign posters are usually the Dysfunctional Family Robinson behind closed doors. Governors can be especially messy when it comes to family affairs.

The McDonnells are no different. They were an upper-middle-class family with five kids when they landed in a high-profile world of money and prestige. And they were in over their heads.

Williams saw them as an easy target — self-made folks who never saw a silver spoon until they earned one themselves.

This wasn’t about a disintegrating marriage and an emotional, needy wife. This was a couple who presented themselves as a shining example of all that is moral and righteous. And once Virginians, believing that they were good people, had put McDonnell in office, they allegedly sold off what the people of Virginia had given them — the public trust. That’s why they were charged in a 14-count federal indictment.

Most of us play by the rules, refusing to give in to greed on a daily basis. . . . . Integrity and honesty abound in this country. 

The McDonnells, by contrast, seemed all too eager to cash in. Ferraris? Plane rides? Golf clubs? A wedding catered? They knew better.

 Ouch!!! 

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