5 Strangest Things We've Learned at the McDonnell Trial

A secret crush? A product pitch on the Romney campaign bus? Former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell (R) and his wife, Maureen, have stood trial for nine days on federal corruption charges. And each day is ripe with tabloid drama.

The couple was charged Jan. 21 with illegally accepting up to $165,000 in gifts, luxury vacations and large loans from Jonnie R. Williams Sr., a wealthy Richmond-area businessman. The McDonnells allegedly asked for or accepted loans and gifts of money, clothes, golf tees and equipment, trips and private plane rides. In exchange, the McDonnells allegedly lent the prestige of the governor’s office to Williams’ struggling dietary supplement company, Star Scientific.

As the case continues to unravel, take a look at five of the strangest things we’ve learned at the McDonnell trial.

1. The “Crush”

Maureen McDonnell’s lead defense attorney William Burck revealed Tuesday, July 29 that the former first lady had a “crush” on Williams, who paid for her expensive shopping trips and vacations. Meanwhile, the defense team tried to suggest the McDonnell marriage was strained.

“Jonnie Williams was larger than life to Maureen McDonnell,” Burk said. “But unlike the other man in her life, Jonnie Williams paid attention to Maureen McDonnell.”

2. The Rolex Watch

On Thursday, July 31, prosecutors revealed a photo of Gov. McDonnell grinning and holding up a Rolex wristwatch, one allegedly purchased by Williams for more than $6,000 at the first lady’s request in 2011. The picture, which was sent in a text message in Dec. 2012 to Williams, provided proof that McDonnell knew Williams had purchased the timepiece despite previously saying the watch was a Christmas present from his wife.

Williams told jurors his relationship with the McDonnells was purely business-related, explaining that he would exchange luxury gifts and money to the couple for promotions of his company’s dietary supplement.

“I thought the governor could help bring this product to the marketplace, and it was not the right thing to do,” Williams said. “I knew it was wrong. I thought the ends justified the means, and I was wrong.”

3. Tapping Mitt Romney

A former aide told jurors Monday, Aug. 4 that after Gov. McDonnell endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential campaign, the former first lady sought Romney’s help in promoting Williams’ dietary supplement.

Phil Cox, the former Virginia governor’s chief political advisor, said Maureen McDonnell intended to pitch the drug to Mitt Romney and even told his wife on a campaign bus that she thought the drug could “potentially cure MS.”

Cox said he was “horrified” at Maureen McDonnell’s actions toward Ann Romney, who has multiple sclerosis. At the time, Mitt Romney was considering Gov. McDonnell as a potential running mate, the Washington Post reports.

4. The “Tic Tac Man”

Several of Gov. McDonnell’s former staffers said they had concerns about the couple’s relationship with Williams. Health policy aide Molly Huffstetler testified that she even referred to Williams as the “tic tac man” because of the dietary supplement samples he would regularly bring to the office.

Prosecutors allege that McDonnell took official acts to assist Williams and his company, Star Scientific, by lending Williams the largess of the governor’s mansion. Williams testified Tuesday, Aug. 5 that he wanted the prestige of the governor’s office to lend his product credibility and persuade scientists to study it. One doctor who attended the event said he was under the impression it was an “official government function” since the invitations were embossed with the official seal of Virginia alongside the names of the governor and the first lady.

5. Aide Found Maureen McDonnell ‘Intolerable’

On Wednesday, Aug. 6, a longtime aide to the former first lady said Williams was Maureen McDonnell’s “favorite playmate” who would go on “play dates” with her. In an interview with the FBI, former chief of staff Mary-Shea Sutherland referred to Maureen McDonnell as a “nutbag” who would sometimes yell at her and draw the attention of the governor’s security detail, the Washington Post reports.

“It was almost two years of emotional stress,” the aide said. “It just became intolerable. It was yelling, accusations. Nothing was ever right.”

Sutherland said although Maureen McDonnell was “buried in debt,” the former first lady refused to sell the family’s $835,000 home in Wyndham and once grabbed at gifts on a New York City shopping spree courtesy of Williams.