To the Point
Recapping Virginia’s McDonnell Corruption Trial
Jury deliberations got under way today in the case of The United States of America vs. Robert F. McDonnell and Maureen G. McDonnell—the first couple of the Commonwealth of Virginia until January of this year—now in the dock charged with trading the power of the Governor’s office for $177,000 in luxury gifts and loans.
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readJury deliberations got under way today in the case of The United States of America vs. Robert F. McDonnell and Maureen G. McDonnell—the first couple of the Commonwealth of Virginia until January of this year—now in the dock charged with trading the power of the Governor’s office for $177,000 in luxury gifts and loans. One political science professor who’s attended the trial every day says, “They had been the most publicly affectionate first couple I’d seen in 30 years.” Now their defense against federal corruption charges depends on persuading a jury of 7 men and 5 women that their marriage was so dysfunctional they could not possibly have conspired to violate the public trust. Larry Sabato is Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
Warren Olney
former KCRW broadcaster
Jenny Hamel
KCRW
Evan George
Director of Content, News
Gideon Brower
Independent Producer
Larry Sabato
Director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics and editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball. He’s author of “The Kennedy Half Century; The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy.”