Bob McDonnell's Greed Leads To Swift 'Guilty' Verdit - News By The Numbers
When Bob McDonnell broke down in tears in the courtroom as the 20 “guilty” verdicts were announced, what do you suppose he was thinking? That his career lay in ruins? That the jury disbelieved his nearly 24 hours of sworn testimony? That his failed defense strategy had demolished the reputation of his wife, Maureen? Robert McCartney’s column on local issues appears Thursdays and Sundays in The Post’s Metro section. View Archive RSS We won’t know until the former governor writes a tell-all book or pleads for redemption in an emotional television interview. Here’s what I’d like to believe: Bob McDonnell’s sobs showed he finally recognized that his own arrogance and self-delusion had brought him down. McDonnell thought he was so clever that he could exploit loopholes in Virginia law to pocket $177,000 in luxury gifts and sweetheart loans without getting caught. Maureen McDonnell, right, and daughter Cailin Young leave court in Richmond on Thursday after McDonnell was found guilty of nine charges in the corruption trial against her and husband Robert McDonnell. (Bob Brown/Associated Press) When that didn’t work, and corruption charges were brought, he thought he could talk his way out of trouble on the witness stand. He was fooling himself. Neither the law’s gray areas nor his own eloquence swayed the jurors. They needed just over two days to convict him of 11 felonies and Maureen of nine. “His happy life is over, whether or not he is exonerated on appeal,” Anne Coughlin, a University of Virginia criminal law professor, said. “A jury of his peers came back and said, ‘You are corrupt.’ That must really conflict with his image of who he is.” I’d also like to believe that other politicians will learn from McDonnell’s downfall. The jury’s quick and devastating verdict showed that the public doesn’t care much about legal nuances, such as what constitutes an “official act.” The public just thinks, reasonably enough, that elected officials should not accept lavish personal gifts from people who want something in return. Join #FOWLERNATION!! http://bit.ly/SubscribeFowlerNation Become a Patron! / fowlershow 3 Steps To Join #FowlerNation! 1. Subscribe To The Fowler Show: http://bit.ly/SubscribeFowlerNation 2. 'Like' The Richard Fowler Show on Facebook / richardfowlershow 3. 'Follow' Us on Twitter / fowlershow These Patrons make the Fowler Show possible ($20+ monthly donation on Patreon.com/FowlerShow) & we couldn't do it without them! Truthservers.com Are you a fan of The Fowler Show? Become a Patron & help support independent media! Learn more here: / fowlershow Want to help out but don't have any money to donate? Donate your account & help us get our stories out on social media. Learn more here: http://www.donateyouraccount.com/fowl... If you liked this clip, share it with your friends and hit that "like" button! 1,500 Subscriber Behind The Scenes Reward Video - • Behind The Scenes At The Richard Fowler Sh... Subscribe to our Podcast on iTunes for free! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/t... @fowlershow @richardafowler / richardfowlershow http://www.fowlershow.com / fowlershow Story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/b...
