From Sen. Mark Herring, the next Attorney General of Virginia.
HERRING TO OBENSHAIN: DO YOU AGREE WITH THE WAY KEN CUCCINELLI HAS HANDLED STAR SCIENTIFIC SCANDAL?
Herring Asks Obenshain To End His Silence And Tell Virginians Where He Stands
Democratic candidate for Attorney General Senator Mark Herring sent a letter to his Republican opponent Senator Mark Obenshain today asking him to finally tell Virginians whether or not he agrees with the way Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has handled the investigation into Governor Bob McDonnell and the company Star Scientific.
On July 3 the Washington Post reported that the Cuccinelli campaign said the Attorney General was “walled off” from the investigation and claimed he had no knowledge of the allegations of improper behavior made against Governor Bob McDonnell by former Executive Mansion chef Todd Schneider.
In his letter, Herring noted that Obenshain has been silent in regards to the scandal involving the close financial relationship between the company Star Scientific and its CEO Jonnie Williams with Governor Bob McDonnell and Attorney General Cuccinelli, and that the people of Virginia deserve to hear his thoughts on how this has been handled so they can better understand how he would address such issues if he were to serve as Attorney General.
“Senator Obenshain, I know you and the Attorney General have enjoyed a close working relationship and a personal friendship. Ken Cuccinelli personally endorsed your candidacy to succeed him at the Republican Convention in May,” the letter reads.
“My question for you is simple: Do you believe that the way this was handled by the Attorney General’s office was appropriate?”
On the campaign trail, Obenshain has talked about his close, personal relationship with the Attorney General and his office as one of his qualifications to replace Cuccinelli.
Prior to the convention, Obenshain told a conservative blog: “Finally, I know the personnel in the office. Ken and I, we’re personally and politically close. Four years ago, he invited me to serve on his transition team and I spent the better part of a month in conference rooms in Fairfax and Richmond recruiting, interviewing, and giving advice to the Attorney General as he structured and built his office. I know the office, the job, and the work. The experiences that I’ve had, I think make me a pretty darn well-rounded candidate, equipped to do the job, without missing – I can take the baton from Ken, build on his work, without missing a step.”
A copy of the letter can be found here.
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