The jury has reached a verdict in the corruption, fraud and conspiracy trial of former Virginia Republican Gov. "Blowdry Bob" McDonnell (a.k.a., "Governor Gifty") and his wife Maureen: Blowdry Bob GUILTY on 11 counts; Maureen: GUILTY on 9 counts:
Bob McDonnell was found guilty of 11 of 13 corruption charges against him. His wife was found guilty of nine of 13, according to the AP.
The couple were charged in a 14-count federal indictment with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from businessman Jonnie R. Williams, Sr., who was CEO of Star Scientific Inc. until he resigned on Aug. 4. The Washington Post has an interactive graphic detailing the gifts the McDonnells and their kids received from Williams, including an engraved Rolex, plane tickets, trips, dinners and loans.The hack Republican grifters face potentially many decades in jail (and yes, we think they'll skate by with much less than the maximums). Sentencing is scheduled for January 6, 2015. Please keep in mind that McDonnell was a living example of the prevalent ethos in the Republican Party: that the only good reason government exists is as a means of further entitling the entitled, i.e. himself (see also Cantor, Eric); it doesn't exist for the public good, and it doesn't exist for the advancement of any ideal other than the further enrichment of those Republican hypocrites who've mistakenly been put in a position of public trust. They'll get no sympathy from these quarters.
So, in the meantime, let's give this the musical accompaniment it merits.
BONUS: Petula Dvorak talks about the McDonnell's trial and the hubris it laid bare (not to mention the outright tawdriness of Blowdry Bob throwing his wife under the bus in a desperate attempt to beat the charges). Here's an excerpt:
After 24 hours on the witness stand and one of the biggest public displays of wife-shaming in memory, former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell (R) didn’t save himself. Or his wife.
He had the chance last year to man up and spare his wife and family all this. Prosecutors offered him a single count of fraud that avoided all mention of corruption and any charges against his wife.
But McDonnell decided to gamble. And everyone lost.
