There’s a lot of good in this, so let’s start with Governor McDonnell’s statement — not one of regret, but of what appears to be a sincere, heartfelt apology:
“Being Governor of Virginia is the highest honor of my 37 years in public service. I am deeply sorry for the embarrassment certain members of my family and I brought upon my beloved Virginia and her citizens. I want you to know that I broke no laws and that I am committed to regaining your sacred trust and confidence. I hope today’s action is another step toward that end. Virginia has never been stronger and I plan to focus on creating even more jobs and facilitating greater opportunity during the last five months of my term as your Governor. Our work together on education, transportation, pension reform, voting rights, and economic expansion has produced great results for Virginia.”
Extra points for the Oxford comma, Governor.
The definition of penance? Heartfelt contrition, and a firm resolution to go forth and sin no more… but also, a reparation for the damage done. While replacing some of the loans and gifts is a start (the watch, the weddings, and other miscellaneous items have perhaps been omitted) it is precisely that — a start.
Two questions raised?
All monies used for repayment have come from the Governor, the family business itself, or his family. (emphasis added)
Skeptics and cynics will rightly ask. First, who capitalized the family business to be able to repay that loan? Second… if the McDonnell’s had the money, why did they take the money in the first place?
So goes the early conversation among the chattering classes…
…but you have to applaud McDonnell for saying what many politicians would never say.
Not regret, not confusion, not misunderstanding… not even sorry, but “deeply sorry… embarrassment… committed to regaining your sacred trust and confidence.”
Duly noted, and while it doesn’t close the book, it certainly ends this chapter and moves us on to another… should indictments truly be on the way.
UPDATE: Early sentiment online:
His quote mimics the copy in the BP tv ad blitz, in which BP employees say, “Our commitment has never been stronger.” He is low-life scum, and, of course, he never would have repaid these “loans” had he not been caught.
Fair point, though BP really did clean up the Gulf and really did go that extra mile…
UPDATE x2: Another comment online just compared Governor McDonnell to former Egyptian president Hosini Mubarak… for those of you who will recall Mubarak’s attempt to hold onto power while applauding the Arab Spring, it did not go over well.
UPDATE x3: Other comments seem to be quietly giving the apology a “thumbs up” on Facebook and all… my assessment is that the Republican grassroots want to forgive McDonnell, but the scandals make it hard to do.
UPDATE x4: Justin Higgins is not impressed.
Now come the questions. Many in the blogosphere are praising McDonnell for the humility of his statement, and while that is appreciated, it is certainly not sufficient. Effectively admitting guilt by making massive payments to your sugar daddy benefactor while denying guilt in the same breath is not only suspicious, but it’s repulsive. Let’s get started with my concerns:
What is the breakdown of this loan repayment from personal funds, family funds and MoBo Real Estate Partners?
Would it be possible to see physical evidence of the payment, including evidence that the checks were cashed (or money received) by Jonnie Williams?
How much is the Governor charging one of his hand-picked employees to rent his Henrico home? Did that money contribute to this loan repayment?
Why didn’t the Governor reimburse Mr. Williams for the Rolex he was gifted, the catering charges of his children’s weddings or his wife’s shopping trips?
Did the “Restoration Fund” created to alleviate the Governor’s legal debt effectively free up the money for this repayment? If so, when we will see that fund’s donors?
Ouch… seems like there’s more questions than answers being dredged up at this point.
UPDATE x5: National Journal has some more on McDonnell’s repayment of loans and gifts:
While the McDonnell family faced financial trouble after the recession and the collapse of the real-estate market, McDonnell is one of the highest paid governors in the country. The average annual gubernatorial salary nationwide for 2013 was $133,348. In Virginia, the salary is $175,000. But the loan repayment is still a seriously big deal: All together, it consists of about 71 percent of McDonnell’s gross annual salary.
There is some reason to think the governor can still salvage something politically. A recent Quinnipiac poll found that McDonnell’s job approval had hit a new low of 46 percent. That’s not nearly as bad as that of Pennsylvania’s Tom Corbett, who had 38-percent approval in an April Qunnipiac poll. Or Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal, who in April had a 38-percent approval rating, according to Southern Media and Opinion Research. Or Maine’s Paul LePage, who had a 39-percent approval rating in a January PPP poll. And that’s to say nothing of Illinois’ Pat Quinn, who had a 25-percent job-approval rating late last year.
Of course, none of those governors were saddled with this sort of scandal.
Time will tell.
UPDATE x6: The House Republicans have chimed in. Consider the wagons circled.
“For over 30 years, Bob McDonnell has been a hard-working and dedicated public servant. His service in the United States Army, as a prosecutor, as a member of the House of Delegates, and as Attorney General demonstrated his lifelong commitment to his country and the Commonwealth. His time as Governor has been marked with a number of historic achievements in transportation, K-12 and higher education, government reform and much more. He is known on both sides of the aisle as a man of character, integrity and good will. Personally, Bob McDonnell has been more than a capable colleague and effective working partner, he has been a friend.
“The Governor has apologized and taken responsibility for his actions. We appreciate his honesty and willingness to address this issue in a forthcoming manner. This is an important step toward regaining the trust and confidence of the people of Virginia.
“The events of recent weeks have raised a number of questions about Virginia’s financial disclosure system. Our system relies on the principles of full disclosure and complete transparency. We believe those principles must be upheld by all elected officials.
“As leaders in the General Assembly, we have already begun a thorough review of our disclosure system. We plan to seek strong reforms including new and rigorous reporting requirements on gifts to immediate family members, synchronizing and simplifying reporting periods, and instituting disclosure compliance training for elected officials. We look forward to addressing these issues during the rapidly approaching 2014 Session.”
In short, apology is over. Nothing to see here. Move on to 2014.
Is that sufficient?
UPDATE x7: Chris Cillizza with the Washington Post has a brutal takedown of what he terms as McDonnell’s last card:
McDonnell’s statement today is an attempt to keep the resignation calls at bay. In essence, he’s saying he knows he screwed up big time, he knows how much it cost him but he also think he should be allowed to use the final four months (or so) of his term to prove to Virginians why they elected him in the first place.
It’s a political public prostrating aimed at taking some of the heat off of him and his fellow Republicans who are now being asked regularly whether he should resign.
. . .
Bob McDonnell played his last — and really only — political card left for him today. His best case scenario is that he can last out the final few months of his term.
If this is indeed McDonnell’s last political card to play, then it suggests that just maybe… we’ve seen the worst? Perhaps so.
Or it could be a bright shiny object rolled across the table to draw attention from what’s to come, as some prognosticators are suggesting now. I doubt this to be the case… but time bears all things out.
