Get out and take your Federal indictment with you!

At some point over the next few weeks, the Feds are going to pay a visit to former Governor Bob McDonnell and hand him a set of papers that will require him to hire a lawyer and head to court to explain his taking of gifts from Star Scientific. Throughout his career, he has taken more than $300K in gifts, but the biggest problem will be trying to minimize damage from the gifts lavished upon him and his family from Star Scientific, a Virginia tobacco company that was hoping to garner support to save their foundering firm.

It is common for legislators to accept gifts, and in truth Dominion Virginia Power is one of the leaders in proffering gifts to public officials. But McDonnell has set a new standard, far out-passing any previous governor by hauling in $303,550 during his political run. By comparison, the wonderful Tim Kaine garnered a mere $201,595, and Mark Warner a paltry $129,953. Only two other Virginia politicians tipped the $100 K mark on the scales, Jerry Kilgore at $119,923 and Bill Bolling at $119,330. These statistics are provided by The Washington Post, which also broke the McDonnell story and has been running with it from the very beginning.

According to a story by Rosalind S. Helderman, Carol D. Leonning, and Sari Horowitz, Federal prosecutors told Gov. McDonnell last week that he and his wife would be charged in connection with the gift scandal, but senior Justice Department delayed the decision after the McDonnell’s attorney met with them before the holidays.

The gift giving that they Feds will likely be taking the biggest look at involves Star Scientific, and specifically CEO Jonnie R. Williams Sr., who last week opted to step down from his position with the company. The company, according to Helderman’s report last Friday in the Post, is looking into changing its name.

To me, there is little question what the Feds ought to do. They ought to indict, and while they are at it, they should probably take a look at those other four politicos who accepted “gifts” to the tune of more than $100K. At the very least, the companies that put up the cash for such gifts are guilty of pandering or trying to secure favorable support from the highest Virginia offices.

Don’t tell me that the Governor of the Great State of Virginia doesn’t hold sway in determining how things are run in the state. We just have to look back at what Doug Wilder did to the Richmond School Board to really see how much power a standing governor can wield. He had Richmond Schools all but out on the street before cooler heads prevailed.

Still, the Star Scientific deal is more troublesome because McDonnell should have known better. As Attorney General, his office had made a reputation for prosecuting people for taking bribes throughout the state. As Attorney General, he more than anyone else should have understood the very laws he now seemingly has transgressed.

If we accept that McDonnell knew exactly what laws he was playing with, we have to assume that he believed he would get away with what he was doing. He had to either think that he could pass the gifts off, or thing that the general public and the media were stupid enough not to notice.

It’s interesting that the Washington Post has been carrying the flag on this case and not the larger Virginia papers.

It has always struck me as odd that someone would pay an exorbitant amount of money to get elected to an office that didn’t come close to paying what it cost to get the job. It’s true for the governor, for state senators, and for congress in general. Often millions are spent to put these people into an office that pays only a few hundred thousand. So, where is the quid for this quo pro?

Follow the money is an adage that many investigations follow. And, it would behoove us to do the same in this case, and maybe go back and look at the other four who top the list in Virginia. As his case progresses through Federal court, I suspect we will be seeing a completely different side of the Governor Bob we witnessed over the past four years.

I am not sadistic, but I do like my politicians to be honest and ethical. I think McDonnell will have a hard time getting out of this self-inflicted snare. The wheels of justice move exceeding slow but grind exceeding fine. Good luck, Governor, I think you are going to need it.