From Sobs to Euphoria For Bob McDonnell as Corruption Case Crumbles

ANALYSIS

RICHMOND, VA — When he was convicted two years ago this month for federal felony corruption charges, namely influence peddling, former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell openly sobbed in the courtroom.

When he later was sentenced to two years in prison, he was similarly emotional.

When the Supreme Court vacated his sentence earlier this summer, McDonnell expressed both humble gratitude and told-you-so vindication.

And Thursday, when federal prosecutors changed their minds from earlier this summer and announced they would not, in fact, attempt to retry the former governor, he knew at the very least he not only would be spared prison time but also another hefty stream of legal bills.

After all, the specter of mounting debt is what got him into the whole sordid mess to begin with — that, and a wife who was only too happy to accept various favors from Richmond businessman Jonnie Williams while urging her husband to do the same in exchange for a few kind words and deeds regarding a new line of Williams' dietary supplements.

We're talking about some $177,000 worth of loans and gifts and paid-for trips, among other things.

When the U.S. Attorney's Office announced it planned to retry McDonnell, collective groans could be figuratively heard throughout the Commonwealth.

No. No! Spare us from what Chief Justice John Roberts called a warmed-over "tawdry tale" of "Ferraris, Rolexes and ball gowns," that nonetheless didn't meet the level of keeping McDonnell's sentence in place.

But consider that McDonnell unanimously was convicted by a jury of his peers. Fellow Virginians.

We easily can gather what McDonnell's thinking is on this latest decision, but what are members of the jury who more or less squandered an entire summer in the name of justice thinking?

What's the guy or gal sitting in jail who had little or no access to a high-powered, high-dollar defense team thinking?

Before Thursday's announcement, Virginian-Pilot columnist Kerry Dougherty led off a piece with, "Enough already. This is beginning to look more like a persecution than a prosecution."

Current Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said as much after the Supreme Court's ruling.

That's certainly one way to look at it, and the ever-affable, non-threatening demeanor of McDonnell doesn't exactly elicit the same emotions as, say, Rod Blagojevich, the combative and feisty former U.S. congressman from Illinois who's now in federal prison for corruption convictions.

But this is less about McDonnell's pitiable sobs in the courtroom than it is about what less-connected Virginians may conclude is a justice system tilted toward the powerful.

Sure, McDonnell is once and now forever off the hook for his behavior while in office. His reputation is ashes and his political future is all but kaput.

That being said, though, consider that McDonnell never spent so much as one hour in jail despite his felony charges.

A lot of Virginians later exonerated for felony charges can't say the same.

Thursday's announcement was the stain on the Commonwealth that keeps on staining.

Photo: Patch file