We all need friends like this!

So while Ken Cuccinelli, the Republican Party’s nominee for Governor of the Great State of Virginia, conveniently implodes under the weight of his enormously horrendous record, things begin to tighten up in the process of prosecuting sitting governor, Bob McDonnell.

I know this seems totally whack, but Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams Sr. seems to have believed all along that McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were trying to help him acquire state funding for his enterprise. Why is this a surprise to anyone?

Richmond in particular, and Virginia in general, is chock full of elected officials who are more than happy to stuff their pockets if the money is right and they think they can get away with it. Tell me that Governor Bob didn’t know that Jonnie Williams’ gifts were quid pro quo, and I will sell you the deed to the Varina-Enon Bridge. Heck, I’ll even throw in the City of Henricus for good measure.

Come on Bob, you used to prosecute people for doing the very thing you have apparently done. You, more than anyone else in the state probably, know that you were trying to skirt the law and walk off with $150k that really can’t be considered anything less than a bribe. Mr. Williams has gone on record stating that he thought you and your wife were helping him make the connections he needed to get state funding to help his foundering business, according to a Washington Post story that appeared in Sunday’s Times-Dispatch.

Emails the Post obtained through the Freedom of Information Act indicate that researchers and scientists working for Star Scientific thought McDonnell and his wife wanted the company to receive the funding. Why on earth else would Williams be willing to pay for such lavish gifts, an extravagant wedding, and all kinds of other items for Virginia’s first family? Because we are friends?

Hog wash. The BS meter is off the charts on that one.

Is it any wonder that he attempted to not report the gifts? Surely it would look bad if he posted that he had received more than $150,000 from his pal Jonnie at Star. The best way not to call attention to such a large amount of money is simply to come up with some way not to report it at all. No trail, no explanation, and theoretically it never happened. So, why not call it a gift and then we don’t legally have to put it in a report. The best way to hide a bribe is by leaving it in the open.

Oh, you protest about the use of the word bribe? Well, what other term fits? I grant you that in all likelihood you did not try to ensure that Star Scientific received any state funding, but it’s not about whether you did it. It’s an ethics thing, Bob. You know that class they teach you in law school about right and wrong, how to get around it, and how to twist the facts to cover your tracks if you do get caught.

You know, I suppose a gift or two is OK. I mean my wife and I gave our boys’ teachers gifts at Christmas, you know a cup that says World’s Best Teacher or some other sappy sort of thing like that that you can get almost anywhere for a few dollars. But not 150,000 simoleons.

Heck, if someone wanted to lend me a cool $150K I would use it to pay off my mortgage, but I know deep down inside they would want something for their money. Other than family members, not mine specifically, I don’t know anyone who would be inclined to chunk out that kind of cash and not expect something in return, maybe at least an Andes mint.

McDonnell admits his family took more than $150,000 worth of gifts and cash he is now calling loans from Williams. He has even paid some of it back. His legal team says any claims that the governor agreed to help Williams or his company are not credible. And if that’s not an ad hominem argument, what is?

It’s an old lawyer’s ploy of attacking the man if the law isn’t on your side. If I can somehow dirty him, then that makes my argument seem more credible. But it’s not credible. Bob and his family took the offering and opted not to report it. Why? Because there was no way he could keep a straight face when questioned about it. The way he chose to act, maybe no one would ever know about the money—no questions and no reason to come up with a legitimate sounding answer. That makes much more sense than all the gibberish coming from his handlers.

From the Post story:  “Jason Miyares, a spokesman for McDonnell, said in a written statement that ‘The governor never asked or directed anyone … to assist Star Scientific in obtaining research funding from the Virginia Tobacco Fund. Also, the governor never told anyone at Star Scientific that he would try to help the company get funding from the tobacco commission.’”

If that’s true, we are left to ponder why someone like Williams might be inclined to make such a wonderful deal? Who are we to believe, Williams who forked over the dough or McDonnell who could be in very big trouble for taking it?

Well, he is the governor you know, that ought to count for something. Yeah, right. Maybe a reduced sentence. The big question is whether the indictment will come before he leaves office in January.