Attorneys for Bob McDonnell asked Judge James R. Spencer to throw out all charges today on the basis that the prosecution failed to prove its charges. The judge refused.
I still can’t help but wonder if the prosecution fumbled what was seen as the can’t-miss charge of bank fraud.
Prosecutors put Towne Bank’s Will Sessoms, also VB Mayor, on the stand to testify that McDonnell didn’t list the Williams loans on his paperwork for a mortgage loan application.
Problem is that Sessoms later testified that bank policy is that he didn’t have to.
Basically, the bank application was for a personal loan to Bob McDonnell. The Williams’ loans were to a spouse and to an LLC, and neither had a personal guarantee from Bob McDonnell. Sessoms testified that neither are required to be included on a personal loan application for Bob McDonnell.
Don’t you think that’s something the prosecution realized? How could they not know standard bank policies?
Months ago, prosecutors offered to drop every charge except the bank charge if McDonnell plead guilty to it. If this is how thin the only charge they weren’t willing to drop is, how thin is the rest of their case?
Defense doesn’t even begin until Monday, and all I’ve seen is that Johnnie Williams got nowhere plugging his product, and even the bank loans were above board.
When a case looks iffy when the prosecution rests, how much more iffy will it be after the defense controls the witness stand?
Federal prosecutors might have blown their big trial.
