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The Justice Department has reportedly delayed until next year a decision on whether to indict outgoing Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife in connection with a gifts scandal — a decision that came after a face-to-face appeal by the couple’s lawyers. A report by The Washington Post late Wednesday night said U.S. Attorney Dana Boente told lawyers for the governor and first lady Maureen McDonnell a week ago that he planned to ask a grand jury to return an indictment by this past Monday over allegedly inappropriate help they gave dietary supplement maker Star Scientific after receiving gifts from...

Sometimes off-year elections provide insight into national political trends and voters' views on issues. That was true in 2009, when the issues in the governor elections in New Jersey and Virginia were congruent with the issues facing Congress and the president. In both states the Republicans campaigned for lower spending and taxes, in contrast to the Obama Democrats' policies. Heavily Democratic New Jersey voted narrowly for Republican Chris Christie, and in Virginia, the state voting closest to the national average in 2008 and 2012, Republican Bob McDonnell won a landslide victory. This turned out to be a good predictor of...

RICHMOND — Gov. Robert F. McDonnell announced Tuesday that he and his wife have repaid more than $120,000 to Star Scientific chief executive Jonnie R. Williams Sr. and apologized for the first time for the controversy involving the prominent donor. “I am deeply sorry for the embarrassment certain members of my family and I brought upon my beloved Virginia and her citizens,” McDonnell said in a statement announced via Twitter. “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...

The door opened Monday for tens of thousands of nonviolent felons in Virginia to regain the right to vote, with state officials outlining steps each will have to take to recapture their basic civil rights. Gov. Bob McDonnell has said up to 100,000 disenfranchised felons ultimately could be added to the voter rolls, serve on a jury or hold political office.“For past offenders, our goal is to grant civil rights back to as many as possible,” McDonnell said in a statement. “This is the right thing to do for all Virginians to help make the commonwealth a safer and better...

Dear Supporter, We have a unique opportunity in Virginia. Governor Bob McDonnell is currently considering which felonies should be categorized as “non-violent” for the purpose of the new, more streamlined restoration of civil rights process that will go into effect as early as next week. Right now, there are several felonies arbitrarily classified as “violent,” like breaking and entering or drug possession with intent to distribute. Those particular felonies disproportionately affect people of color and communities in poverty. We need your help. Will you take the time to email Governor Bob McDonnell and ask that he take the broadest approach...

Update: Here are the denials. It’s unclear to me whether my sources know something Deutsch doesn’t or were basing their opinion on his reporting. I will update for accuracy as it goes on. Sources close to JHPolitics are confirming what was broken by Willie Deutsch of Bearing Drift. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is, if reports are to be believed, resigning from office over pending corruption charges. Willie’s take: The man who pushed out the RPV chairman over trumped up corruption charges while running for governor is currently in the middle of finalizing a plea agreement which includes his resignation as...

We’ve all seen photos of Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. Particularly last year when he was being mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick on the Romney ticket. He would be beaming, with a large, toothy smile, looking well groomed and squeaky clean. And no wonder, this wholesome image was the product of a group effort, since the governor relies on Virginia taxpayers to keep him smelling fresh. According to Laura Vozzella in the Washington Post, the McDonnell family has used its government–supplied credit card much like the GSA uses its card. Billing the taxpayers for “body wash, sunscreen, dog vitamins...

Shortly after Barack Obama won reelection in November, New Jersey governor Chris Christie pointed out that Republicans’ cloudy political prospects had a bright silver lining. “One of the reasons you have 30 Republican governors in America, and why we’re the only organization to add Republican strength,” Christie said, “is because people see us getting things done.” Christie’s stance countered most of the elite postelection commentary, which gleefully pronounced the Republican Party’s political irrelevance. But the governor was right. Since Obama first took office in 2008, Republicans have picked up a net nine governorships, bringing their total to 30 states,...

Hard-left Daily Beast writer Michael Tomasky has a nasty habit of smearing conservatives every chance he gets, and it seems he has found his newest target, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-Va.).  Writing in a May 1 piece for the online publication Tomasky used the FBI investigation over gifts McDonnell received for his daughter’s wedding to slam the Virginia governor's Christian faith.  Tomasky started off his rant by throwing harsh language at the governor, calling his actions, “sleazy and cowardly.”  At issue is the controversial relationship McDonnell has with businessman Jonnie Williams and whether or not the governor accepted money for political...

Whether you believe voter fraud is a huge problem or just a minor annoyance, there’s no way you can argue that it doesn’t happen. Virtually every recent election has been marred by reports of people voting under fake names, voting multiple times, or casting fraudulent ballots. Supporters of Voter ID laws have long argued that there’s a simple way to stop most of these problems from occurring: require a photo ID from each registered voter in order to cast a ballot. It’s simple, quick, and prevents “disenfranchisement” by securing the process. In short, it’s a no-brainer. So, obviously, Democrats hate...

Remember how Bob McDonnell's and Chris Christie's gubernatorial wins in 2009 gave conservatives a jolt of optimism after the catastrophe of 2008? Good times, good times.No surprise here after he broke his promise not to raise taxes in order to fund Virginia’s new transportation bill, but still newsworthy: Chris Christie isn’t the only Republican governor getting snubbed by the Conservative Political Action Conference. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was not invited, according to someone close to CPAC who was not authorized to speak publicly.McDonnell, a potential 2016 candidate, spoke at the conference for the past two years. Like Christie, McDonnell is...

Former vice presidential adviser I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby is among more than 1,000 felons whose voting rights were restored in the past year by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, according to a report to the General Assembly. Libby’s name is listed in the Feb. 23 report on pardons, commutations, reprieves and other forms of clemency the Republican governor is required to submit annually. Without elaboration, the report says Libby’s civil rights were restored Nov. 1, 2012. … In Virginia, only the governor can restore felons’ civil rights. McDonnell has streamlined the process and, consequently, has restored the rights of more than...

"Conservative" does not mean the same thing as "pro-business," as Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has demonstrated. McDonnell -- whose three-year record is mostly characterized by conservative policies -- this week won the largest tax hike in state history and a package of new spending on transportation. Cheering him on was Virginia's business lobby. The tax-hike-and-roads package fits well into a pattern of McDonnell veering from his conservative principles when the business lobby wants more government. McDonnell, for instance, has subsidized favored businesses and industries through tax credits and special incentives. Also, Virginia's dependence on the military-industrial complex and the "Beltway...

This morning on "Mornings on the Mall" on WMAL-FM in Washington DC, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) used the memory of Ronald Reagan to give himself cover for a tax increase he helped engineer. Once considered a strong contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, McDonnell has found himself under increasing scrutiny from allies on the right for a tax-laden transportation bill that was approved by Virginia's legislature this weekend, despite opposition from many Republicans, including the presumptive GOP nominee to succeed McDonnell, tea-party favorite Ken Cuccinelli.

On Friday, March 15, 2013, at 8:00 a.m. Bob McDonnell will go to CPAC and address the Faith & Freedom Coalition Prayer Breakfast. For those of you who attend this event, you will be sitting staring at a liar. If you are a conservative, remember Bob McDonnell thinks you’re an idiot. That’s the only explanation I can think of for what just happened in Virginia this week. That, and that McDonnell is an unprincipled fake conservative whose promises are without value, an exemplar of the kind of big government pro-tax Republican who ruined the party’s stature with fiscal conservatives.

Virginia --(Ammoland.com)- This VGOC action alert contains: 1. An urgent call to Action to Stop Gun Ban Governor Bob McDonnell’s last minute legislative plan to sneak new gun bans past gun owners. Please use the message below to call the Governor as soon as possible. 2. A cut, copy and paste email to be sent to key legislators who can stop Bob McDonnell’s SB 1377 and SB 1378. Both bills are designed to entrap and severely punish innocent, unsuspecting gun owners in brand new gun crime traps. 3. An urgent request for a donation to your VGOC to help fund...

Senate Democrats killed Gov. Bob McDonnell's comprehensive transportation funding plan that eliminates the state's gasoline tax in exchange for raising the sales tax to 5.8 percent Tuesday, just hours after the House of Delegates passed an amended version of the package. Senate Republicans offered two new versions of the plan that would have taxed gasoline at the wholesale level without increasing the sales tax, to no avail. The original measure's sponsor, Sen. Stephen Newman, introduced a new version of the bill that would have done away with the gas tax at the pump, and instead offer a wholesale gas tax...

A few years ago, Alaska’s proposed “Bridge to Nowhere” became a national symbol of wasteful government spending on little-needed projects. Now Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has pushed through his own version of this embarrassment, a $1.4 billion highway outside Hampton Roads that qualifies as a “Road for Nobody.” McDonnell has perplexed people across the state by his insistence on adding a tolled, four-lane highway parallel to U.S. 460. It will stretch for 55 miles from Petersburg, a Richmond suburb, southeast to Suffolk. The deal signed in December to build the road is especially insulting to traffic-jammed Northern Virginia, where...

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell delivered his state of the Commonwealth address on Wednesday, marking his vision for the state as the General Assembly opens the 2013 session. One of the most striking parts of his presentation is a proposal to eliminate Virginia’s 17.5-cent per gallon gasoline tax, and replace this portion of state roads funding with an increase in the state’s sales tax.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani says U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio would be the best choice of a running mate for Mitt Romney. In an interview in Tampa with News Channel 8, the one-time presidential candidate said he was comfortable with all the potential vice presidential candidates he's heard being talked about, but thinks Rubio is "the most exciting." Giuliani said the Florida senator could help the campaign attract young people.