Gov. Bob McDonnell does Star Scientific CEO a favor by driving the latter’s Ferrari home from vacation

As if Gov. Bob McDonnell needed another “ethical lapse” added to his public record, he recently got one after it was discovered that McDonnell “took a lake-house vacation in 2011 courtesy of the same major campaign donor who paid for the food at the wedding of the governor’s daughter that summer.” And so the plot thickens…

Adding EVEN MORE to this growing scandal is the following: according to a McDonnell spokesman, McDonnell claims that he and his family did the CEO of Star Scientific, Jonnie R. Williams Sr., a favor by driving William’s beautiful white Ferrari home from McDonnell’s vacation spot at Smith Mountain Lake. The Ferrari that McDonnell drove is reportedly worth a whopping retail price of $190,000.

The most puzzling thing about this latest piece of the scandal pie is McDonnell’s defense of his actions. According to McDonnell’s spokesman, “…the governor and his family have taken a vacation at Smith Mountain Lake near Roanoke every summer since he took office in 2010 — each time as a gift from a donor.” That is, don’t worry Virginia, I do this every year, it’s not a big deal. What?! You’ve almost got to admire the audacity of this man!

Here’s also a fun fact for you: elected officials are allowed to accept gifts of any size as long as they are disclosed yearly, according to Virginia law.

Fellow Virginians, I’m not concerned what party Rep. Money-bags is a puppet for. These “ethical lapses” are an outrageous affront to our republican form of government and to every hard-working Virginian who wants their voice to be heard just as equally as the next Virginian. But if the game is being gamed in favor of the wealthy who can give extravagant gifts, then clearly not all Virginians have an equal voice.

And just as clearly, McDonnell has violated the public’s trust and has tarnished the office of Virginia governor. But just stay tuned, this scandal seems to grow a little bit more every week. Who knows what new unofficial bribe will be uncovered next week. I hope Bob McDonnell has made plans outside of politics!