Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) received a Rolex watch from a major campaign donor and he did not disclose the gift in his personal filings, the Washington Post reported online Tuesday.
The watch was a gift from Jonnie R. Williams Sr., the CEO of dietary supplement maker Star Scientific whose relationship with McDonnell has been the subject of an ongoing federal investigation.
According to WaPo, citing people with knowledge of the gift, McDonnell received the $6,500 watch only two weeks after a 2011 meeting between a top state health official and Williams. The CEO used the meeting to pitch Star Scientific’s products. The meeting was reportedly coordinated by the governor’s wife, Maureen McDonnell, who is said to have urged Williams to buy the watch so she could give it to her husband.
Williams reportedly treated the Virginia first lady to a high-end New York City shopping spree in 2011.
