Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate and state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) urged Gov. Bob McDonnell Monday to call a special legislative session to address “severe holes” in the state’s ethics laws–an issue that has plagued both Republicans the last few months.
“Trust is something that is easy to lose and hard to recover,” Cuccinelli said in an interview with The Washington Post after a meeting with McDonnell. “I think the longer we let this go, the more difficult it is for Virginians to achieve the level of faith in their government that I think they’re accustomed to. And I think that’s something we can achieve if we move quickly.”
Federal and state investigators are currently looking into the connection between McDonnell and Jonnie Williams Sr., CEO of nutritional supplement company Star Scientific and a wealthy McDonnell donor, who has given the governor’s family various pricey gifts.
Cuccinelli also received $18,000 worth of gifts from Williams, failing to initially disclose $4,500 worth of items including significant stock in the company, which he attributed to an oversight, according to the Post.
Update: A spokesperson for McDonnell told NBC12 that the governor would not be calling a special session to address ethics laws.
“The Governor was informed of the Attorney General’s position on this matter, spokesman Tucker Martin told NBC12. “However, he believes the proper time and place for the consideration of such changes would be during the next session of the General Assembly, which begins in January.”
