Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife used taxpayer money to pay for sunscreen and dog vitamins, the Washington Post reported on Monday, a disclosure that comes as the Republican leader is said to be under scrutiny by the FBI.
The newspaper, citing spending records it obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, also said the McDonnells used state employees to run personal errands for their adult children and billed the state for deodorant, shoe repairs and a digestive system “detox cleanse.”
The Washington Post has previously reported that McDonnell, who has been mentioned as a possible presidential contender in 2016, was under investigation by the FBI and a grand jury over a $15,000 catering bill from his daughter’s wedding in 2011 that was paid for by a campaign donor…
The governor has acknowledged that he stayed at the Roanoke, Virginia, home of the campaign donor, Jonnie Williams, and drove Williams’ Ferrari sports car back to Richmond.
Williams is the chief executive of Star Scientific Inc, a nutritional supplements maker in the Richmond area.
According to the Washington Post, the FBI is looking into whether the governor’s office helped advance the business interests of Williams in exchange for the gifts…
You have to love family values – as practiced. The same hypocrites who prate all through election cycles about honesty and old-fashioned virtue – once they get into office regal greed takes priority in every aspect of their lives.
What a douchebag!
douchebag==politician
Politician == LAWYER!
douche’
That sunscreen must have cost hundreds of cents, I’m no financial wiz but I’m guessing the cost of that alone would fund the trillions needed to fund obamacare.
Another Bush loyal
If that was the level of corrupt politicians this would be paradise.
Only sunscreen and dog vitamins and a party here and there? This guy is a saint compared to the others…
But no one is even looking at “the others.” They can’t – they WON’T! And that’s because most journalists and any other so called “others” are from the OTHER SIDE!
Seems to me that this may be an attempt to divert attention away from Obama and some of the scandals he is involved in. Scandals like the IRS and Libya in case you forgot.
He sounds much better than our Senators in Canada…
lets see….
2 years AFTER??
IT TOOK the IRS 2 years to find/see this??
Umm, NO..it was FOIA paper that was given to a NEWSPAPER..
Presidential contender means they must be taken down. Meanwhile, Obama’s vacation spending at taxpayer expense is not itemized. His home purchased by Tony Rezko is not posted at this blog or mentioned on the news.
Well, he’s no John Edwards!
You remember ‘ol John-John don’t you? Remember that handsome guy from the 2000 election year trying to become the Democratic nominee who was later accused of cheating on his dying wife (even at the convention) and having illegitimate children? But do any of you recall what else this “great guy” did? Here’s just a snippet from Wikipedia in case you forgot:
In October 2005, Edwards joined the Wall Street investment firm Fortress Investment Group as a senior adviser and consultant, a position for which a close aide reported he received an annual salary of $500,000.[37][38]
Fortress owned a major stake in Green Tree Servicing LLC, which rose to prominence in the 1990s selling subprime loans to mobile-home owners and now services subprime loans originated by others, but in an interview Edwards said he was unaware of this.[39]
Subprime loans allow buyers with poor credit histories to be funded, but they charge higher rates because of the risk, and sometimes carry hidden fees and increased charges over time.[39]
In August 2007, The Wall Street Journal reported that a portion of the Edwards family’s assets were invested in Fortress Investment Group, which had, in turn, invested a portion of its assets in subprime mortgage lenders, some of which had foreclosed on the homes of Hurricane Katrina victims.[40][41]
Upon learning of Fortress’ investments, Edwards divested funds and stated that he would try to help the affected families.[42]
Edwards later helped set up an ACORN-administered “Louisiana Home Rescue Fund” seeded with $100,000, much of it from his pocket, to provide loans and grants to the families who were foreclosed on by Fortress-owned lenders.[43]
…And you thought it was just the money grubbing “repukes” doing this. Think again! They’re all LAWYERS!!!
(BTW, Al Gore got the nomination but then lost to “Dub-ya” in the famous Florida “hanging chad” voting scandal – the same State Dub-ya’s BOTHER was governor of.)
So Dude, your response to the reported illicit and possibly illegal actions of the current, acting Republican Governor of Virginia is to say that a Democrat Senator also did bad things ten years ago. How does that lessen what the governor did? Should we just give the Governor a freebee? Let him take a mulligan? Give him a do-over?
I thought the Republican party was the party of family values, of moral integrity and taking personal responsibility for your actions.
Detox cleanse?
I don’t see any Teapublicans complaining about this guy buying his recreational use enemas at taxpayer expense. Where’s the outrage and Congressional inquiry?
This report is a bunch of garbage. It doesn’t mention that the sunscreen, dog vitamins, etc. is covered by a stipend providing for the governor’s living expenses. It is a stipend that was approved by the state legislature and is considered part of the governor’s compensation package. It has been used by Va governors in the same way since it was passed in the late 80’s. The aides supposedly used to run errands have already stated that were off duty and not being paid to help out the governor’s family.
The only thing that is a real issue is the payment for the catering bill by the campaign donor. That is what the FBI is investigating.
>The aides supposedly used to run errands have already stated that were off duty
Well of course they said that.
Shrinkage, people. Costs more to run the servers maintaining this “news” than to pay off these piddling trifles. Never mind the costs of the FBI’s investigations. Besides, aren’t we talking about lawyers here? If they don’t fuck you out of money being lawyers they’ll do it as politicians.
Da-yum. The more time passes, the more I think my crackpot idea is about the only way to get rid of these scumbag politician 1%ers and their minion 99%ers.
That is unless you want to repeat of the French Revolution…
Hell, I’ll even learn to knit. Just call me Lafarge. 🙂
Vive la France!
The only part of this story that matters is whether the guv helped out the “nutritional supplement” maker avoid troublesome truth-in-advertising or health and safety regulations. Otherwise, ho hum.
Well governor ultrasound did hold a party in the governor’s mansion announcing the product to the public. His aides and staff are on record questioning the propriety and possible legality of that party.
I guess he needed a break from working at the hurricane Irene recovery efforts which had hit the coast three days earlier.
The governor’s wife was flown down to Florida in the corporate jet to be a speaker for the company’s investors. Then three days later at her daughter’s wedding the $15000 gift was given.
Mr. Williams of Start Scientific has given more than $120,000 to the governor’s campaign.
Virginia’s attorney general, Mr. Cuccinelli has reported $18,000 in gifts from Mr. Williams, including regular vacations at a house on Smith Mountain Lake, near Roanoke, and a catered $1,500 Thanksgiving dinner and a box of Anatabloc.
Mr. Cuccinelli bought stock in Star Scientific, which at one time was worth more than $20,000, although he failed to disclose his holding as required by law for nearly a year.
Now if this was the Clinton’s (ahem, Whitewater) would we ever hear the end of it?
Seems he’s a thoughtful kind of guy. Sunscreen for humans and vitamins for dogs are both a good idea. Maybe he should pay for his own sh$t, though.