We all should have the kinds of friends that Governor Bob
McDonnell and his wife have. New York shopping sprees, free Rolex watches,
thousands of dollars in “gifts” and, dare we say, gratuities.
And for what?
Ladies and gentlemen, I hate to be the one to bear witness
to this statement, but we live in a quid-pro-quo world. Or in layman’s terms, I
scratch your back and you scratch mine. Maybe it should be squid-pro-quo
because the tentacles on that kind of stuff are long and numerous.
It’s beyond belief that McDonnell and his wife were the
beneficiaries of such wonderful gifts without their being some kind of payback
behind the scenes. When dealing with issues like this, most attorneys would
invoke the comment that elected officials should “avoid even the appearance of
impropriety.”
Despite Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams being a friend
of McDonnell’s, such grandiose treatment tends to make one wonder. For the more
skeptical, there is just no way that this doesn’t have the aroma of pay off.
Sorry but Richmond is rife with political officials who are serving time for
taking payoffs (bribes not gifts or gratuities), and in this day, age, and time
such largesse needs to be viewed with more than just a jaundiced eye.
In the end, it may turn out that Bob and crew did nothing
illegal. But the whole thing fails to pass the sniff test, if you catch my
meaning. In general, it just doesn’t seem right.
When Bob’s wife, Maureen, accepted gifts in excess of
$10,000 from hubby’s best buddy Williams, she crossed an ethics boundary most
elected public personalities would best not follow. By accepting a $10,000
suede jacket, two pair of designer shoes, a Louis Vitton leather handbag, and a
designer dress Ms. McDonnell failed to avoid the appearance of impropriety.
Even if, as it appears they must be, Williams and Governor
McDonnell are the very best of friends, the alleged New York City Oscar de la
Renta shopping spree smells of pay off.
To make matters worse, the “presents” were not disclosed in
the governor’s statement of economic interest for that year. While the governor
may be within his rights not to report the gifts, simply accepting them gives
the appearance of impropriety. Given Richmond’s rich history of bribes and
kickbacks, it’s hard to overlook such a deal especially when the person
providing the gifts is in litigation with the state over a $700,000 tax bill.
Really, it all comes back to pulling on loose strings. A
reporter sees something that doesn’t look quite right, and they start to tug.
That’s what happened with Watergate, Sandusky, and now, apparently, with
McDonnell.
People talk about the fourth estate, the news media in
general, as the outside source for keeping the government and society on the
straight and narrow. Evil deeds can’t stand the light of public knowledge; they
live in shadow and darkness. Good media representatives go a long way to
shedding light on those things, and it typically starts with little things,
like failing to report over $10,000 in gifts.
People like McDonnell, and for that matter all political
persons, need to understand that by their own choice they live in a fishbowl. Not
everyone is going to agree with the dictums and decisions they make, and any
good reporter is going to question things that seem out of sync with the
people. Like it or not, reporters work for the people; at their best, they are
a necessary piece of the whole checks and balances equation.
I’m not certain how the whole McDonnell affair will turn out
in the end. But I do know the entire matter could have been avoided had
McDonnell simply followed what most lawyer’s would have suggested “avoid even
the appearance of impropriety.” In the end, “if it looks like a bribe, walks
like a bribe, and smells like a bribe—it’s a politician.”
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