Robert F. McDonnell really doesn't want to go to jail. His friends in high places don't want him to either.
To clarify, it's not because McDonnell's got any actual political friends left. No, McDonnell's conviction makes him toxic for anyone still in the game. Can't be seen hanging out with a convicted felon, even if he is out on bail pending an appeal.
So, why do members of the political class care whether McDonnell spends time jail? Turns out the political class is afraid that if McDonnell goes to jail, they might soon follow him. The fear is so palpable that a bi-partisan cadre of former states attorneys general have signed onto an amicus brief in support of McDonnell's appeal of his conviction.
Let's look at their reasoning. And to prepare yourself, be sure to tighten your cynic helmets. You'll need them to take what's coming with a straight face.
State's rights. Yup. This illustrious crew thinks that Robert McDonnell should have faced state rather than federal charges. State corruption laws are looser, you see, so if he'd been tried in the 'right' place, he'd have gotten a slap on the wrist, not a prison sentence. I wonder if this crew would consider writing an amicus brief on behalf of all the people put in jail on federal drug charges? You know, that heroin dealer would be out of jail now if he'd only been held to a lower standard.
Lunch with the local Lobbyist is now in peril. I can't even muster the appropriate sarcasm. I'll just quote from the brief: "Dangling the threat of criminal liability over every lunch with a
lobbyist and every meeting with an interest group would impede the
proper functioning of state and local governments." You may not have followed the trial, but suffice it to say that Johnny Williams, the businessman trying to curry the favor of the then governor, did more than cover a few lunches. He flew McDonnell to political events on his private jet, bought McDonnell's wife expensive dresses, gave McDonnell's kids high-end gifts, and offered McDonnell a personal loan with no terms attached. Williams was a sugar-daddy par excellence, giving the McDonnell's $177,000. The notion that lobbying is somehow integral to the "proper functioning of state and local governments" is also mind-boggling. Unless, of course, you accept the notion that your constituency isn't the people living in your district, but the people who fill your campaign coffers.
The bizarre logic notwithstanding, the most dispiriting aspect of the amicus brief is its bi-partisan nature. People in both parties have bought into the notion that government is for and by the people who can pay for it.
