Post by Logan on Feb 4, 2016 2:29:41 GMT -6
If court tosses McDonnell convictions, Congress should rewrite bribery laws
Back on Aug. 23, I was the first columnist — in Virginia, at least — to opine that former Gov. Bob McDonnell should be allowed to remain free until appeals from his 2014 corruption convictions had run their course.
That argument was based on three premises. First, McDonnell’s freedom posed no danger to the public. Second, in terms of shame and embarrassment, McDonnell already had paid a high price for accepting $177,000 in gifts and loans from businessman Jonnie Williams, who sought favors from the governor on behalf of his company, Star Scientific.
Third was the example of former Maryland Gov. Marvin Mandel. In the 1970s, he did pretty much the same thing as McDonnell, except that he got a lot more booty from the “friends” for whom he did official favors. Mandel served 19 months in federal prison for that.
Years after he was released, an appeals court overturned the convictions. That meant Mandel had suffered an injustice, because he could never get that prison time back.
Read more: www.roanoke.com/news/columns_and_blogs/columns/dan_casey/casey-if-court-tosses-mcdonnell-convictions-congress-should-rewrite-bribery/article_51227e37-705c-5afc-ad77-c132036e127c.html
Back on Aug. 23, I was the first columnist — in Virginia, at least — to opine that former Gov. Bob McDonnell should be allowed to remain free until appeals from his 2014 corruption convictions had run their course.
That argument was based on three premises. First, McDonnell’s freedom posed no danger to the public. Second, in terms of shame and embarrassment, McDonnell already had paid a high price for accepting $177,000 in gifts and loans from businessman Jonnie Williams, who sought favors from the governor on behalf of his company, Star Scientific.
Third was the example of former Maryland Gov. Marvin Mandel. In the 1970s, he did pretty much the same thing as McDonnell, except that he got a lot more booty from the “friends” for whom he did official favors. Mandel served 19 months in federal prison for that.
Years after he was released, an appeals court overturned the convictions. That meant Mandel had suffered an injustice, because he could never get that prison time back.
Read more: www.roanoke.com/news/columns_and_blogs/columns/dan_casey/casey-if-court-tosses-mcdonnell-convictions-congress-should-rewrite-bribery/article_51227e37-705c-5afc-ad77-c132036e127c.html