Tag: McDonnell trial
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Spotlight in McDonnell Trial Shifts to Judge Spencer
Hmmm…. It turns out that Judge James Spencer, the judge who presided over the trial of former Governor Bob McDonnell, is married to Judge Margaret P. Spencer — whom McDonnell voted against in 1997 when she was nominated in an unsuccessful bid for appointment to the Virginia Supreme Court. Republican/ conservative bloggers are wondering if Mr.…
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Was Bob McDonnell Convicted with Tainted Testimony?
Jonnie Williams’ trial testimony about a critical meeting with the former governor was contradictory, implausible and sometimes incoherent. But the jury bought it anyway
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Did McDonnell Prosecutors Knowingly Use Tainted Testimony?
Published this morning in the Roanoke Times: By Paul Goldman, James Bacon and Mark J. Rozell Did Democratic U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder sanction using tainted trial testimony against Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell? In closing argument, the prosecution said jurors could “discount everything, every single word uttered by” Star Scientific founder Jonnie R. Williams and…
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Guilty!
So, the jury has convicted Bob McDonnell of 11 of 13 counts and Maureen of nine. I’m stunned. The prosecution presented no evidence of quid pro quo, and evidence of a conspiracy struck me as weak and circumstantial. But I didn’t attend the trial, I didn’t hear the full testimony, and I didn’t get to appraise the…
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Bringing out the Knives
by James A. Bacon There is a rising tide in the op-ed pages, TV commentary and blog commentary that former Governor Bob McDonnell is a brutish, swinish cad for portraying his wife Maureen as the heavy in the corruption trial. You’ve got to love liberals. They’re so very compassionate… until they’re talking about their wounded enemies.…
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McDonnell on the Stand
Former Governor Bob McDonnell took the stand yesterday, defending his conduct in connection with Jonnie Williams Sr. and Star Scientific in precisely the way one would expect: Other than providing access to government, something that every governor does, he said, he did Williams no favors. As the Times-Dispatch summarized his testimony, “He never used discretionary funds at…
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Mo Maureen and Po’ Maureen
by James A. Bacon More interesting testimony from the McDonnell trial yesterday. In the balance, the defense bolstered its case. But it was not entirely convincing. The other Maureen. Mo McDonnell, Bob McDonnell’s little sister, was a successful business executive who had worked for IBM, Regent University and Amerigroup, culminating with a salary of $540,000…
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Throwing Maureen under the Bus
by James A. Bacon The full dimensions of the McDonnell family tragedy came into clearer focus yesterday as attorneys representing Maureen and Bob McDonnell launched the defense phase of the corruption trial… by throwing Maureen under the bus. Defense witness Janet Kelly, Secretary of the Commonwealth in the McDonnell administration, described as “diva-ish” and so difficult with…
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The Prosecution Closes on a Weak Note
by James A. Bacon The U.S. Justice Department closed its case in the McDonnell trial on a weak note Thursday as cross examination of FBI Agent David Hulser confounded the narrative prosecutors were trying to establish of a financially desperate first family. Previous testimony had revealed the seemingly damning fact that Maureen and Bob McDonnell had accumulated…
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Another Day Older and Deeper in Debt
OMG! Maureen and Bob McDonnell owed $75,000 on seven credit cards when Bob took office as governor in 2010. Their credit card debt peaked at $90,000 later that year. The first family managed to pay down its debt to around $31,000 the next year, apparently after Maureen inherited some money, according to the Times-Dispatch. Think about…
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Sands Shift under McDonnell Defense
by James A. Bacon The McDonnell trial resumed yesterday as the prosecution brought in more witnesses to dot i’s and cross t’s on its case that Maureen and Bob McDonnell conspired to grant official favors to Star Scientific President Jonnie Williams Sr. in exchange for more than $150,000 in loans and gifts. There were no…
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Bob Takes a Hit
by James A. Bacon Bob McDonnell took a big hit yesterday in the corruption trial against him and his wife Maureen. He has a lot more explaining to do about his knowledge of his wife’s ownership of Star Scientific stock. Before yesterday, the testimony of prosecutor witnesses had focused overwhelmingly on the out-of-control behavior of Maureen McDonnell in…
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The Beat Goes On…
Testimony continued yesterday in the Maureen and Bob McDonnell corruption trial as the prosecution brought more witnesses to the stand. There were no major revelations but trial junkies were treated to a number of small but telling details. Snake oil. We’ve known from the beginning that Bill Hazel, former governor McDonnell’s secretary of health and human…
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Out of Control
by James A. Bacon With each new day of testimony, the trial of Maureen and Bob McDonnell is becoming more a trial of Maureen and less a trial of Bob. There was abundant evidence in previous testimony that the former first lady was out of control, sending members of the former governor’s staff scrambling to rein in inappropriate…
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The Damage-Control Patrol
by James A. Bacon In New Jersey’s Bridge-gate scandal, Governor Chris Christie was cursed (if you believe his story) by underlings who made bad decisions that landed him in political hot water. In Virginia’s Gift-gate scandal, former Governor Bob McDonnell was blessed by underlings whose advice and actions kept him out of trouble — at least in those…