Dinner with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is apparently a hot commodity.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the donor at the center of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and his wife’s federal corruption case once offered his private jet to the ex-governor and his staff in exchange for a dinner date with the Arizona senator.
Exhibits entered into evidence in the case show McDonnell’s scheduler and former Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams’ personal assistant corresponded via e-mail in 2009 about getting McCain to attend a dinner with Williams. McDonnell’s scheduler said she had left a voicemail with McCain’s office about an event which emails suggest was a Dec. 8, 2009 dinner, according to the Post.
Williams’ assistant Jerri Fulkerson made the offer a day later.
“Also, on the contacting Sen. McCain, Jonnie asked me to ask you to please get a hold of Mike Reynold [a McDonnell staffer who served as Virginia director of McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign] and ask him to contact Sen. McCain office and try to get Sen. McCain to go with Jonnie to the dinner on Tuesday night,” read an email dated Dec. 3, 2009, as quoted by the Post. “Jonnie really really needs Gov. Elect McDonnell and/or Sen. McCain to go with him … Jonnie said that the Gov. Elect and staff can use his jet well past retirement if you guys can make this happen!”
It’s unclear whether any arrangement was made for either McDonnell or McCain to attend the event with Williams.
