Another day, another item dropped into the mix:
Federal officials have been investigating allegations that a dentist within the large Richmond-area practice of W. Baxter Perkinson Jr. provided cosmetic dentistry services at no charge to the first lady, according to the two people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
Free dental work would expand the number of gifts that the first family has received and add a new name to what has been a short list of benefactors. It also would fit a pattern of items given to Maureen McDonnell — including designer clothing and accessories — that appear to have been aimed at polishing her image as first lady.
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A well-known dentist with 11 offices in the Richmond area, Perkinson has a $20 million building named after him at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry. McDonnell appointed Perkinson to the VCU board of visitors in July 2010. He had previously served as VCU rector and as vice president of the VCU Health Systems board.
Earlier, the bar set by McDonnell’s attorney was that there had been “no gubernatorial appointments made” and hence no quid pro quo leveraging the McDonnell’s position in state government.
Ouch.
This is only getting worse and worse by the minute, and if federal prosecutors are digging this deep into the activities of the First Lady, they are quite intent on showing a pattern of misconduct from the Governor’s Mansion — not just multiple instances with a generous friend.
