Virginia’s blue-eyed, unmanned
aerial drone loving governor, Bob McDonnell, lost any justification for
remaining in office after the most recent revelation that he knew
about financial assistance and gifts provided by Jonnie R. Williams Sr., Star Scientifics’
CEO. Prior to this ‘discovery’, McDonnell’s defense lawyers argued
to federal prosecutors that Virginia’s staggering governor had been “kept
in the dark” about the gifts given to his family by Williams.
Now, however, Bob McDonnell has no room to defend himself on
the grounds of ignorance regarding the gifts his family received from Star
Scientifics’ CEO. The Washington Post
gives one example: “McDonnell (R) was present at a charity auction in 2011 when
the chief executive of Star Scientific, which makes a dietary supplement,
successfully bid on a fashion tour of New York for the governor’s wife in front
of a crowd of onlookers, witnesses said.”
With McDonnell’s most clever defense now in the gutter, it’s
difficult to imagine how the governor can reason his way into staying on as
Virginia’s chief executive. Not only would McDonnell’s resignation spare the
people of Virginia any further embarrassment, it may also spare Bob McDonnell
from some of the public scrutiny that will surely befall him if he remains
Virginia’s governor. In other words, if McDonnell steps down as governor, he
may take some of the spotlight away from the embarrassing details of his
relationship with Jonnie Williams Sr.
Up till this point, the majority of both major political
parties in Virginia have been cautious about calling for McDonnell’s
resignation. There is, however, no further justification for not calling on
McDonnell to resign. It is as clear now as it has ever been that Bob McDonnell
took financial contributions and gifts in return for political favors (i.e.,
McDonnell broke the law and the integrity of his office).
So much for the positive legacy of Bob McDonnell.
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