Based on the evidence so far,

Guilty.

If I was a fair and impartial juror, I think the Feds have proven he used the influence of his position for personal gain. He lied on paper when declaring gifts, he asked for an accepted money and gifts.

The "crush" defense is totally unbelievable. Not one piece of evidence suggests that their marriage was in shambles and they weren't speaking. They conspired. They look even more guilty by trying to sell this Hail Mary defense.

Maureen obstructed justice by trying to act like she was supposed to return the dresses all along, after she had been grilled by the Feds.

They are both equally guilty of abusing the office of the Governor.

Bob is guilty of being a pussy-whipped tool.

Maureen is guilty of being one of the greediest bitches in history.

Bob should've taken the deal. He's going to prison for awhile. He must be a terrible lawyer.

It will be interesting to see if they split up, prison or no prison.

Guilty, both. An epic embarrassment to our great Commonwealth. Maureen's as white trash as they come and Bob is dumb as a rock. He definitely should have taken the deal. He's screwed!

Guilty, no jail time. Hefty fine of about a quarter mil.

Hope they both go to prison. Sad, though, that Democrats could do the same or worse and never worry about an indictment. In fact, VA governors have long been allowed to accept "gifts", and Tim Kaine took hundreds of thousands himself. Only recently has this obvious crap been put to a stop.

So, Maureen had a party at her house. Terry sold reservations to the Lincoln bedroom for the Democrats/Clintons. What is the difference? Party affiliation.

Both were wrong? Illegal? apparently not.

McDonnells were wrong--but they are not crooks.

Reasonable doubt will sway ignorant jurors (OJ, Casey Anthony, Robert Blake) and they will walk.

Yeah, they will walk. But in the court of public opinion they are toast. They won't be able to hold up their heads in public again. She's just a wacko and he's spineless.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/former-executive-mansion-director-takes-the-stand/article_8d766b4a-1e3d-11e4-ae58-001a4bcf6878.html

Why did they pick such an unbelievable story for their defense? By all accounts they had a great relationship. Obviously that is why Bob let her get away with so much. There has been nothing at all to suggest they were estranged.

They may get convicted on this huge lie alone. They should have gotten better lawyers.

They really should have taken the deal!

They chose that defense because they had absolutely nothing else to hang their hat on. This was clearly a ploy to reach jurors on a emotional level and try to persuade them to not use their heads. Just a smoke screen which could work. We all know jurors arent the sharpest tools in the shed.

I will be interesting when Bob testifies in his own defense.

He is guilty as an elected official. But Jurors will be spineless go lenient with probably no jail time.

Both Bob and Maureen have the worst lawyers ever -- terrible legal advice and strategy.

As the Washington Post reported, "Four jurors are women, eight are men. Nine appear to be white, three appear to be black."

I doubt the men will fall for this ridiculous defense. On the other hand, they may feel sorry for McDonnell for having to deal with that greedy harridan of a wife and give him a pass. If the women on the jury have any common sense, they will be offended at the defense attempts to pull at their heart strings and to throw Maureen under the bus.

I suspect at least a couple of jurors will be awed by their proximity to what had been power and celebrity and won't find him guilty. Even if convicted, I don't think he'll serve time.

https://twitter.com/joestgeorge

Addictive website. Reporter who is twittering the trial.

I think the defense is probably on target. Sleazy, but not illegal.

My bet is that most of those placing bets are doing so for partisan reasons, rather than on an understanding of the charges and of the evidence for or against the Defendants.

I bet you're wrong!

WTOP is obsessed with this case.

Maureen gets the heat goes to club Fed. Bob dumps her and is seen with a new younger model

They may not be convicted on all charges but I am betting they will not get away scott-free.

The prosecutions case is strong, but does lack a smoking gun in what Williams got in return. The Quid is definitely there, not as much the Quo.

Depends how the jury is. They could be starstruck by the celebrity of the case and be lenient, or they could be pissed that they thought they could get away with this and throw the book at them.

The defense is so very bad though...I don't think they are going to buy the "crush" story. It is not only stupid it has been contradicted by every witness. For one thing if they were going to use it they should have gone on and said they had an affair. Either she was a slut or she wasn't...this 4th grade crush stuff is ridiculous. I think the jurors will see right through it like everyone else.

They really should have taken the deal. They would have saved a ton of money on legal fees and prison would be off the table. They are already broke. How will SpongeBob make money if he is a convicted felon and disbarred?

They also wouldn't have had to look like fools in front of the whole country with their soap opera marriage story. You know they wish they could go back and take the deal.

Stay tuned friends.

I havent followed the trial but based on the case it seem unlikely the will get completely off. There are just too many absurd gifts - catering weddings, Rolex, Ferrai loan. Come on, it doesnt come close to passing the sniff test. For a Gov. to claim he 'just didnt know' this was wrong is absurd. I am amazed that fronting the marriage as a defense is even allowed - what is the difference if they got along. the Gov knew he was driving a Ferrai right? He didnt think it was a Ford Focus did he?

It just doesnt wash.

If I was a juror this would be enough for me. He claims it helped him and his wife...did they actually take it? Never heard they did.

This stuff was tobacco nuked in a microwave. Throw the book a them. I'm done. Guilty.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/11/us-usa-virginia-mcdonnell-
idUSKBN0GB1VU20140811


Virginia governor pitched health product, says corruption trial witness


(Reuters) - Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell gave a personal pitch to a state healthcare official for the dietary supplement at the heart of the former governor’s trial on corruption and bribery charges, the official testified on Monday.

Sara Wilson, director of the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management, said McDonnell pulled out a bottle of the product, Anatabloc, at a meeting she and her boss had with him in March 2012 to discuss healthcare.

McDonnell, a Republican, "said how much it had helped him and his wife,” Wilson said under prosecution questioning on the 11th day of the federal trial.

"He wants us to meet with these people,” Wilson quoted her boss, Lisa Hicks-Thomas, the state administration secretary, as saying.

The governor’s alleged involvement through official acts of promoting Anatabloc is a key element of the prosecution’s case.

McDonnell and his wife Maureen face 14 counts of corruption and bribery in connection with allegedly accepting $165,000 in loans and gifts from Jonnie Williams Sr., the former chief executive officer of the company, now called Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals Inc, that makes Anatabloc.

Martin Kent, McDonnell’s former chief of staff, testified in U.S. District Court that the governor's use of Williams’ Ferrari hurt the feelings of state police guards.

In July 2011, McDonnell spent a weekend at Williams’ resort property in Virginia with his family and then drove the Ferrari back to the governor’s mansion in Richmond.

The governor breached a policy that required him and his wife to be driven by state police.

“It hurt morale ... I asked him not to do it again,” Kent said.

Kent also testified that handwritten notes that referred to a “50 K note” and a “loan of 50k shares to Maureen” appeared to be in the governor’s handwriting.

Prosecutors have said that Williams wrote a $50,000 loan to Maureen McDonnell, and later contemplated giving the couple shares of his company so that the governor could borrow another $50,000.

Attorneys for the couple have argued that accepting the gifts and money was unseemly but not illegal.

If convicted, the McDonnells could face more than 20 years in prison and a large fine. McDonnell's four-year term as governor ended in January.

read this jackass' thesis on family values http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2014/08/bob_mcdonnell_public_corruption_trial_how_his_marriage_defense_squares_with.html

What a total evil douche this asshole is. Typical Regent University hypocrite and typical GOP numbskull playing his Rube constituency. Throw the book at him.

Why did the juror get dismissed today? Blogs are saying SpongeBob's behavior was visibly different afterwards, "he sat with his back to the courtroom and head down". Wtf is he in time out? Weird.

I think he had something to do with that juror getting dismissed. SpongeBob is shady. He got reprimanded for hugging his wife's ex chief of staff by the judge. His demeanor was much different after and one reporter thought he might be crying. Later he said he wasn't crying but "reading his devotional". The judge wouldn't have said anything during the trial about him being involved b/c it could sway the other jurors. We'll see I guess.

Even if he gets acquitted he is done in the family value GOP circle. What a dumbass! If he had taken the plea he could still do speaking engagements etc. Arrogant crook.

shoulda shoulda left that damned chef A L O N E!!!!!!

I can't wait to hear about SpongeBob on the stand. I wish they would allow cameras in the courtroom. His testimony will make or break whether or not he goes to the slammer.

Can anyone go to Richmond and see the trial in progress or is it closed to the public?

If it is open to the press, it is open to the public. The problem may be getting a seat in the courtroom.

After conviction, they'll be qualified to continue in politics as dirty dems. But they still won't have as much street cred as most dems.

The jury is going to convict on this crazy defense alone. They will see right though it. Lots of people have crazy wives. Still not an excuse for lying on mortgage applications, asking for 20k more (after receiving 50k already) and taking rolexes and ferrari rides. He did all of that it had nothing to do with her.

I actually hope she walks now. She wasn't the governor and the humiliation she's enduring is worse than jail.

Throw the book at SpongeBob. He's a pathetic excuse for a man.

Innocent on all charges! As Marion Barry exclaimed, "Bitch set me up!"

The prosecution against McDonnell in this case is laughable. He didn't break any state laws, and is married to a Shop-a-Holic nut case who simply loved money and expensive gifts, maxed out their credit cards, and allowed a smooth-talking friend to get them into most of the mess they are in.

The Verdict? McDonnell......Not Guilty on all counts. His wife? Guilty, but probably with extenuating circumstances that suggest that she simply had lost mental control of some of her actions. Probable suspended sentence.....and an court order for her to get professional treatment for her addictions, and for her and her friend to avoid contact with each other (I suspect they may even have been having an affair, but there's no proof of that).

The twilight zone factor to this whole thing is the Gov admitted he knew it was wrong to take the money and gifts etc......BUT HE COULDNT STOP HIS WIFE FROM DOING IT?

What a pussy.

Couldn't stop her? Given the kind of wife he had, it sounds entirely plausible to me. He was clearly married to a Shop-a-Holic nut case.....the jury is going to see that.

When youre the Gov of VA and you cant stop your wife from committing a crime that could get both of you thrown in jail........well, I dont know what else to say about the man.

The latest from Richmond
The defense is done with Bob and now the prosecutors are getting their crack at him. Get out the popcorn this is going to be good.

Follow it here http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/liveblog-live/liveblog/updates-day-21-of-the-mcdonnell-corruption-trial/

So far they are tearing him up. The judge doesn't like him either.

Who knows though. The legal system is a funny thing.

The leading Democrat contender for President, HILLARY CLINTON, has McDonnell beaten in spades.

This trailer trash piece of shit has exacted not thousands, but hundreds of millions.

Her horse-faced daughter, Chelsea, was paid $600,000 to do 12 hours of work by the liberal media.

Hillary Clinton's husband rapes women. Ask Jennifer Flowers. He also whips his dick out in front of state employees. Ask Paula Jones. He also has sex with 19 year old unpaid interns. Ask Monica Lewinsky.

Also, Hillary Clinton, now her grit-husband Bill, but Hillary herself accepted several million dollars to buy Marc Rich a pardon.

You Democrats look like f-ing fools talking about this bush league politico, when your number one contender is a dishonest, corrupt and false and depraved political hack.

Kwj9K Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The leading Democrat contender for President,
> HILLARY CLINTON, has McDonnell beaten in spades.
>
> This trailer trash piece of shit has exacted not
> thousands, but hundreds of millions.
>
> Her horse-faced daughter, Chelsea, was paid
> $600,000 to do 12 hours of work by the liberal
> media.
>
> Hillary Clinton's husband rapes women. Ask
> Jennifer Flowers. He also whips his dick out in
> front of state employees. Ask Paula Jones. He also
> has sex with 19 year old unpaid interns. Ask
> Monica Lewinsky.
>
> Also, Hillary Clinton, now her grit-husband Bill,
> but Hillary herself accepted several million
> dollars to buy Marc Rich a pardon.
>
> You Democrats look like f-ing fools talking about
> this bush league politico, when your number one
> contender is a dishonest, corrupt and false and
> depraved political hack.

You forgot Hillary had a man killed and made it look like a suicide.

Guilty since they held the events for the company in the mansion.

I think they probably only get something like six month and then the rest probation.

I really don't care to see them do serious time, I think under a year is appropriate. This message needs to be sent to politicians though. A year in jail is still pretty shitty.

It is so apparent now what the defense has been trying to do. They keep harping on how mentally ill she was, they are basically pleading insanity so that Bob won't be held accountable. It's sick, but it might work.

TrialNerd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It is so apparent now what the defense has been
> trying to do. They keep harping on how mentally
> ill she was, they are basically pleading insanity
> so that Bob won't be held accountable. It's sick,
> but it might work.

I think in order to utilize a temporary insanity defense you have to announce that before the trial starts.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2014 11:17PM by Decrapitated.

You definitely do, but they are kind of unofficially doing it here is what I meant. They are laying major groundwork to put in the jurors mind that she was off her rocker and Bob coped the best he could.

What's interesting to me is that her lawyers got on him today. Mabye it's just for show that they are not in cahoots?

His wife did it, he was a devted husband and got sucked along for the ride.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/08/24/1324211/-Meet-the-Gay-Priest-that-Homophobic-Hypocrite-Bob-McDonnell-is-Now-Living-With

I can't get over how drama-filled this trial has become. Hollywood could not come up with a story this zany.

Their daughter was up there today and said mom had a mild obsession with jonnie angel. What an effing circus this is.

All right, final bets people!


Guilty on most charges.

Hung jury on a few.

A little jail for both. Less than a year. Tons of probation and fines.

Here's why:
They don't have to prove that Jonnie got anything, only that the gov tried to give him perks. Taking the wife on the $20,000 shopping spree than being seated next to the gov that same night proves that alone. The gov emailing the sec of health for jonnie the night he got back from jonnie's swanky Smith Mountain Lake house. The pic of him w/ Antabloc is priceless. He "doesn't remember" taking it. ha! Too bad for jonnie the gov couldn't close the deal on his pro quo.

The have an enormous amount of evidence on gifts received.

The jury is not going to buy this defense if they have 1 brain in their heads. Obviously if the children are testifying that their mother is nuts, what do they have to gain from that? Oh yeah, their parents not going to prison. Not much else. They are all in this together. This was a hail mary defense trying to create a soap opera to deflect from the facts. (Look over here! NOT over there!)

I think they'll be merciful when it comes to sentencing though.

This soap opera isn't going to end. It's just getting started. Now people will be interested in their relationship b/c they've put it all out there. They need to start brainstorming how they can make some $$$ on that.

Virginia really took one for the team w/ this guy. He is a classic example of a politician who gets elected b/c he "looks good". IE: Ultra-conservative Christian smooth talker w/ a big happy family and killer hair. In reality he is obviously a total idiot. He ran his family finances into the ground over-investing in a bad real estate market, having 5 kids go through college, and a stay at home wife with expensive tastes. Now he apparently had the worst marriage in the world with his psycho wife "crushing" on a millionaire. Awesome family values.

He should have taken the deal from day 1. He is going to get it way worse now. And he would have spared the wife being crucified throughout the trial. I also can't believe that he took the stand in his own defense. This is Law 101: never take the stand in your own defense. OJ and Casey Anthony are perfect examples. I think he was so arrogant in believing he could convince the jury about his innocence that the lawyers threw up their hands and said fine, we're getting paid either way.

He must be such a horrible lawyer. It is scary to me that he was Virginia's Attorney General. I guess this is what you get from Pat Robertson U and your thesis is about how working women are destroying society.

We really need to be a lot more careful with who we elect. This guy was a potential national candidate.

All it takes is one star struck lunatic on the jury to set them free.

The jury is seven men, five women. The women probably want to crucify him. The men could go either way - they could see him as a gigantic wuss who threw his wife under the bus, or they could give him a pass for having a shrew of a spouse. I hope they throw the book at this entitled, self-righteous, hypocritical 'good Christian' who felt empowered to tell the rest of us how to lead our lives while making a mess of his own.

Refugee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Guilty, both. An epic embarrassment to our great
> Commonwealth. Maureen's as white trash as they
> come and Bob is dumb as a rock. He definitely
> should have taken the deal. He's screwed!


The commonwealth embarrasses itself, it doesn't need a scandal to do that. Not to mention since when are crooked politicians running Virginia a new thing? I mean really?

No 12 jury members will convict him. He did nothing under Va law, the Feds are grasping at straws, his wife was the baddie.

Maureen is white trash.

And Bob is a goober.

But if what they did was jailable, then both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would be serving a life sentence right now.

'Because Bob decided to throw his once eye-candy wife under the bus, the jury will sympathize with her....she will be found not guilty and he will be found guilty!!!!

Arrogant, narcissistic, egotistical,lying Bob conjured-up the untruth of a defense. They probably pre-conspired before the trial so she would not be surprised.

I wonder why she did not take the stand....he probably told her not to do so!

They already decided. They are voting party-line. That means G U I L T Y

I call BS. What Mcdonald did did not cost the tax payer a penny. Now here is how a real crook does it-Democrate style!
Attachments:

and what about this guy?
Attachments:

I bet Obama pardons everyone of them before leaving office, if he leaves?

VERDICT Reached!!!! All bets are closed...

I even predicted that the jury will find that they told the truth throughout the entire investigation.

Should be an interesting appeal, especially with the judges instructions that guaranteed a conviction.

The judges instructions were totally fair. He was a hardass but i can't see anything out of line.

I'm actually shocked they convicted them on so many counts. And the one count I thought was a shoe in (falsifying loan doc's) they were acquitted on.

The people have spoken. SpongeBob and Mo are headed to the joint.

TrialNerd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The judges instructions were totally fair. He was
> a hardass but i can't see anything out of line.
>
> I'm actually shocked they convicted them on so
> many counts. And the one count I thought was a
> shoe in (falsifying loan doc's) they were
> acquitted on.
>
> The people have spoken. SpongeBob and Mo are
> headed to the joint.

This proves that GOP voters are idiots. People who voted for him should refrain from ever voting again because frankly, you are just morons.

Awful ending for a man who had been the best governor of the Commonwealth since George Allen. Very satisfied with his performance in office, disappointed with his judgment in personal affairs.

TpY7U Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> This proves that GOP voters are idiots. People who
> voted for him should refrain from ever voting
> again because frankly, you are just morons.

We are celebrating by rioting in the streets tonight! Join us! This is the best news ever for Virginia Democrats. Who shall we go after next?

Happy days are here again!

Not one tax payer dollar stolen? Crime of the century? Now here is how you do it, chocolate city style!
Attachments:

johnny ringo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Awful ending for a man who had been the best
> governor of the Commonwealth since George Allen.
> Very satisfied with his performance in office,
> disappointed with his judgment in personal
> affairs.


Are you $%^ Sarah Palin NRA member stupid? How could you defend him? He was an idiot and embarrassment to Virginia and the USA. She was a complete nut-job. You Teatards should trying reading instead of watching FOX news. Are you going to pay Virginia back for your poor judgment and inability make proper choices? My coworkers in Europe and Japan are having a field day mocking us because he is such a "village idiot." They wanted to know if Virginia has lead in the water because they can't figure out how somebody like him could have been elected in the first place.


Time to figure out the next loser you are going to field. Maybe Cliven Bundy will run and you can vote for him.

p7VVn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> johnny ringo Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Awful ending for a man who had been the best
> > governor of the Commonwealth since George
> Allen.
> > Very satisfied with his performance in office,
> > disappointed with his judgment in personal
> > affairs.
>
>
> Are you $%^ Sarah Palin NRA member stupid? How
> could you defend him? He was an idiot and
> embarrassment to Virginia and the USA. She was a
> complete nut-job. You Teatards should trying
> reading instead of watching FOX news. Are you
> going to pay Virginia back for your poor judgment
> and inability make proper choices? My coworkers in
> Europe and Japan are having a field day mocking us
> because he is such a "village idiot." They wanted
> to know if Virginia has lead in the water because
> they can't figure out how somebody like him could
> have been elected in the first place.
>
>
> Time to figure out the next loser you are going to
> field. Maybe Cliven Bundy will run and you can
> vote for him.


Come on man, be real....


The choice in 2009 was between McDonnell and this stuttering bumpkin..



Yeah, that would've worked- let his ding dong son have access to the Governors Mansion and all that dangerous shit?

LOL

May have been a higher body count!

You're right though, our choices suck.

idontlikebeingrightaboutshitlikethisbutiam



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