RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Lawyers for the wife of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell are telling jurors in her corruption trial that her interactions with a businessman who showered her with gifts may have been “tacky” but they are not illegal.
Jurors heard closing arguments Friday. Bob and Maureen McDonnell are accused of taking more than $165,000 in loans and gifts from former Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for using the governor’s office to tout a tobacco-based health supplement, Anatabloc.
Maureen McDonnell’s lawyer, William Burck, argued the former first lady couldn’t have carried out any official acts to help Williams because she was not a public official. He said the McDonnells’ broken marriage showed she was operating independently of her husband in her dealings with Williams.
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It’s hard to say which is worse. In the South, “tacky” has no parole.
But, but, but…if she’s sooo innocent and wants to defend her honor, why didn’t they put her on the stand to testify???
The entire McDonnell defense is a sham, a ruse, a deflection, and a desperate way to get the Governor off the hook. The collusion is the best piece of performance art I’ve read about in a long time…but its still all bullshit.
Tacky–agreed. Legal? Disagree. Not while Governor. Didn’t these people every hear the rule about Caesar’s Wife? Oh yeah, they don’t know much about history, or ethics.
Hard to remember when the wife of a public official was treated so badly in the plot of a bad play. Martha Mitchell of Watergate fame comes to mind.
One question:
We know who the prostitute is in this little drama, but exactly who is the pimp? Seems both Bob and the tobacco guy were getting a lot of stuff for not sleeping with Maureen.