From the last Morning Jolt of the week:
Bob McDonnell, Disgrace
You should have taken the plea deal, Governor McDonnell.
Virginia’s 71st governor, Bob McDonnell, on Thursday became the first in the state’s history to be convicted of a felony, turning a legacy dominated by steering the state through austere times into one tarnished by corruption.
Just blocks from the state Capitol that served as the backdrop for his ascension to national prominence, a federal jury convicted McDonnell and former first lady Maureen McDonnell on multiple counts in U.S. District Court.
As a court clerk read the verdict count by count, finding Bob McDonnell guilty on 11 of 13 charges and Maureen McDonnell on nine of 13, the former governor dissolved into tears, covering his eyes and shuddering as several of his children audibly sobbed in the rows behind.
The former first lady also wept, as did other family members and supporters.
Judge James R. Spencer will sentence the McDonnells on Jan. 6. They could face decades in prison but are likely to be sentenced to considerably less time under federal guidelines. Defense attorney Henry Asbill said Bob McDonnell would appeal the verdict.
Score one for Mitt Romney’s vetting team.
The lawyers I know were surprised by the scale of the verdict, but not the ultimate direction. McDonnell’s defense – sure, I took all those gifts and didn’t report them, but you can’t prove a quid pro quo of favors to the donor– always seemed too cute by half and unlikely to fly with a Richmond jury unlikely to be sympathetic to politicians, Republicans, or a silver-haired white guy who wears a Rolex.
There is simply no way that any politician who was as allegedly able and ambitious as McDonnell would not understand that the relationship between his family and Williams was deeply inappropriate. It’s inconceivable. And yet, that was the case that the McDonnells sought to make in the weeks-long trial that saw almost seven dozen witnesses called. McDonnell, his lawyers argued, was simply doing for Williams what he would do for any Virginia businessman hoping to get attention for a product. (Williams was pushing a dietary supplement called Anatabloc.) That eye-rollingly-difficult-to-believe justification for the parade of gifts showered on the McDonnells was made even less believable by a number of former aides to the governor and First Lady who said they had repeatedly warned the two of the impropriety of their relationship with Williams.
It’s not that every little gesture between a donor and elected official needs to be documented and litigated, but that gray area of “chumminess” was always potential for trouble. The bar for “corruption” has probably been lowered, but that doesn’t appear to be a case of runaway prosecutors or vengeful juries:
James noted that Williams was never able to testify that McDonnell or his wife ever promised him an official action in exchange for his gifts.
Instead, the case against them was built around more low-key events, such as McDonnell’s instructions to set up meetings for Williams or attending an event at the governor’s mansion that marked the launch of one of Williams’ new products. And prosecutors were unable to show that Williams got anything tangible for all the money he showered on the McDonnell family.
Cillizza concludes, “I am left with a feeling of amazement at the vast gap between how McDonnell was regarded (including by me) as recently as two years ago and who he turned out to be. His judgment, which was touted as one of his best attributes, wound up being one of his worst.”
Tell me about it, Chris.