Gov. McDonnell's final service to Virginia - Resign!

With federal prosecutors closing in on Governor Bob McDonnell's corruption, the Commonwealth is left leaderless with an impotent chief executive until a new governor is sworn in early next year. The best thing that Bob McDonnell can do for Virginia, and for himself, is to resign.

Governor McDonnell flanked by
Lt. Governor Bolling - who is clean in this scandal -
and Attorney General Cuccinelli - who isn't.

The Washington Post reports that Jonnie Williams Sr, the chief executive of Star Scientific, has been interviewed by prosecutors and has turned over financial records detailing the more than $120,000 in gifts given to McDonnell and his family. Other company officials are also being interviewed.

McDonnell could be charged with corruption under the Hobbs Act that prohibits elected officials from taking official actions in return for money or gifts. The Supreme Court has held that a violation of the law occurs when "... a public official has obtained a payment to which he was not entitled, knowing that the payment was made in return for official acts."

Even if McDonnell is not charged, his tenure as chief executive is basically done - his political goose is cooked. He can stay in office while bringing more disgrace to Virginia as government stumbles along to the end of his term. Or, he can resign, free the Commonwealth of six months of purgatory, and allow Lt. Governor Bill Bolling to take over the Executive Mansion. True, Bolling would be little more than a caretaker, but that is preferable to months of a state government mired in scandal and controversy that destroys faith in our representative democracy.

Perhaps we can thank Governor McDonnell for bringing attention to Virginia's lax ethic laws that earned a big fat "F" from the Center for Public Integrity for being "...one of nine states with no statewide ethics commission, one of four states with no campaign finance limits and one of only two states (South Carolina is the other) where the part-time legislators handpick the judges before whom many of them practice law." Smells like rotten eggs.

The cooked goose of a governor says he'll propose changes to the Commonwealth's ethics laws - kinda like a fox with a bloody chicken in his jaws promising to fix the lock on the henhouse door. It would be far preferable for someone removed from this scandal - perhaps an interim Governor Bill Bolling - to lead a sweeping ethics reform movement and have proposed legislation ready for the 2014 session of the General Assembly. If the elite 140 (who also get lavished by nice gifts that are legal - but not moral or ethical IMHO) under state law drop the ball on ethics reform shame on them - and us - for failing to raise our Commonwealth to a higher standard.

Prior posts on corruption and the lack of enforceable ethics laws in Virginia:

• Carlos Danger meets Robbin' Hood
• Governor McDonnell is more than an embarrassment, he's breaking the law
• Corruption at the intersection of money and politics in Virginia
• Virginia Gets a F in State Integrity Grades
• Judging judges
• Pitchfork Rebellion

Corruption at the intersection of money and politics in Virginia

What do Virginia Republican and Democratic officeholders have in common? They love gifts! Nice gifts! Expensive gifts! Ah, the perks of political office in the Commonwealth. But, is it really a "commonwealth" when some birds, already feeding at the public trough, feel entitled to some extra luxury grist?

Between 2002 and 2012 Bob McDonnell gladly received gifts worth $303,550, including a $25,000 flight to Puerto Rico and a $19,000 luxury suite at a Redskins game. During the same period, his predecessor in the Executive Mansion, Tim Kaine, received $201,595 worth of gifts.

Politicians don't have to be a big dog Governor for Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy to visit his or her office with nice things: Current Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has accepted gifts valued at $69,363 (is he running for Governor hoping for a big shower of freebies?). Speaker of the House William Howell  topped the Cooch with $73,171. Even lesser known legislators like Senator Frank Wagner ($45,182) and Delegate Ken Plum ($40,679) get some damn nice stuff.

And just who are these Santas and Tooth Fairies lavishing gifts on politicians? Among the top 10 between 2002-12 are some familiar lobbying big dogs including: Dominion ($175,149), Virginia Uranium ($148,274) Virginia Trial Lawyers Association ($87,776), and American Legislative Exchange Council ($77,048).

As long as the gifts are reported on the annual financial filings it is perfectly legal under current Virginia law.

But, there are reports that Governor McDonnell was given a $6,500 Rolex by Jonnie R. Williams Sr., the CEO of a dietary supplement manufacturer who has been lobbying government officials. It is also alleged that Williams paid for a $15,000 Bergdorf Goodman shopping spree for McDonnell's wife and ponied up $15,000 for catering at McDonnell's daughter's wedding. If true, the Governor is covered in broken eggs and the yoke is on him.

While we should all be hopping mad if the allegations about Governor McDonnell's failure to report the watch and other gifts are true, we should totally outraged that with simple disclosure, all the gifts are perfectly fine by Virginia's ethics rules. The corrupting influence at the intersection of money and politics threatens the foundations of our democracy. It apparently isn't enough for donors to make huge contributions to campaigns, they also "buy" influence with nice personal perks for the people's representatives.

One branch of Virginia government, the courts, is taking ethics seriously (maybe too seriously) and has promulgated a rule that clerks offices can't accept any gifts without the approval of the judge. So a clerks office accepting a Christmas fruitcake or box of candy from a law firm gets far more scrutiny than the Governor pocketing a top tickets to a Redskins game or a $4,000 night-vision monocular from defense firm.

In the henhouse we affectionately call the "Commonwealth of Virginia" all birds are equal, but big birds are definitely more equal than little chicks employed by the state. I cry fowl... err... foul. It is past time for a constitutional amendment or legislation to end the wholesale buying of the people's government that takes place under both corrupt political parties.