VA Gov. McDonnell Donor Expected Quid-Pro-Quo
Regular Liberaland readers know that we have been following the travails of scandal-plagued Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA), who has been the focus of a federal investigation into misappropriation of campaign funds. The latest revelation got buried in the weekend news cycle:
The wealthy Virginia businessman and political donor at the center of the federal investigation of Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has told prosecutors he believed the governor was helping his company get research funding during the time he was providing McDonnell and his family with tens of thousands of dollars in money and gifts, The Washington Post reported [late] Friday.
In its article, The Post cited two people familiar with the account of Jonnie Williams, the CEO of a dietary supplements company called Star Scientific. The Post also obtained emails from researchers and scientists working with the company, which show that they thought McDonnell and his wife, Maureen McDonnell, wanted Star Scientific to get funding from Virginia’s tobacco commission.
The tobacco commission distributes funds from Virginia’s share of the 1998 legal settlement with the major tobacco companies. But, according to the Post, records show that Star did not receive any funding from the commission, and the McDonnells maintain that they never tried to help William’s company get the funding.
