The prosecution’s main witness in the corruption trial against former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) testified on Monday that he never had an affair with the governor’s wife and said he didn’t know about her crush until last week.
The Associated Press reported that Jonnie Williams, the former CEO of Star Scientific who has received immunity for his cooperation with federal investigators, testified that he had no idea Maureen McDonnell’s marriage to the governor was on the rocks.
Last week, Maureen McDonnell’s attorney told the court that the former first lady had romantic feelings for Williams.
The attorney said “Maureen immediately gravitated toward Jonnie” because he “showered her with attention” that she didn’t get from her marriage to the former governor.
On Monday, however, Williams denied those allegations, saying: “I didn’t know she had any interest in me until this past week.”
He also denied having a physical relationship with the former Virginia first lady.
“I never had any contact with Mrs. McDonnell — no physical contact period,” Williams said.
The McDonnells have been charged with accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and loans from Williams in exchange for business promotion and could be sentenced to decades in prison if found guilty.
