Thursday, March 28, 2024
 
Comment Boards Voice Surprise, Vindication After Va. Ex-Governor’s Conviction

RICHMOND, VA Sept. 4 (DPI) – Many followers of the corruption trial of former Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell and his wife expressed surprise – and a sense of vindication – after a jury here convicted both on multiple counts today.

The comments – nearly 1500 on WashingtonPost.com and 300 on NYTimes.com as of 5pm – reflected the now well-ingrained public view that politicians charged with serious offenses often beat the rap, that McDonnell and his wife Maureen were guilty of relatively small-scale corruption, and that Republicans like McDonnell – more likely to espouse family values themes when running for office – deserved being convicted more than other politicians.

The defense for the McDonnells held that the two had a rocky marriage and were in no position to conspire to take more than $170,000 in gifts and loans from a businessman in exchange for promoting his vitamin product.  Defense lawyers said they would appeal the jury verdict; many readers wrote that they thought the McDonnells would be spared jail time following an appeal.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/05/us/bob-mcdonnell-maureen-mcdonnell-virginia-verdict.html

As a native Virginian, I am pleased to see justice has been served. I was very cynical and truly did not think they would be convicted at all or to this extent — thank you jury for seeing through the facade.

Glad the jury saw through that bogus bad-marriage boondoggle. The McDonnells were for sale to the highest bidder, and they put the governor’s office up for sale too. Shame on them.

The Washington Post comment boards – generally much more free-wheeling than the more closely monitored NYTimes.com comment boards – reflected a higher level of emotion and hostility toward the McDonnells. It was recently confirmed that The Washington Post gives away digital subscriptions to thousands of federal and government workers, but that may not have been a factor in the cascade of often-negative comments on the site.

From WashingtonPost.com:

I am surprised but not shocked. I thought that the prosecutor hadn’t proven the “quid pro quo” aspect. I guess the judge’s instructions were loose enough to cover that. He still may win on appeal.

Not that I think he should.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/mcdonnell-jury-in-third-day-of-deliberations/2014/09/04/0e01ff88-3435-11e4-9e92-0899b306bbea_story.html?hpid=z1

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