First, let me just give huge props to Peter Galuszka of Bacon’s Rebellion, who continues to be one of the best writers, reporters, and bloggers on Virginia politics. Galuszka’s been doing great work for years, but he’s really outdone himself the past few days, breaking an important story involving State Senator Bill Stanley (R- a large chunk of Southside Virginia), Stanley’s “close political ally” Bob McDonnell (T-Bob “helped raise $83,000 for a recent Stanley political campaign”), Virginia Uranium, and god knows who or what else. Here’s the gist of what happened, per Peter Galuszka:
*”Jerry A. Hagerman, a supervisor in Pittsylvania County which is at the center of a battle over proposed uranium mining, says that State Sen. Bill Stanley..told him that Gov. Robert F. McDonnell asked Stanley to lobby the county Board of Supervisors to shelve a resolution regarding uranium at its Sept. 4 meeting. Hagerman says he has a taped telephone call from Stanley to prove it.”
*”Virginia Uranium plans to develop a 119 million-pound deposit of uranium near Chatham. The controversial proposal has attracted national media attention.”
*This whole incident “raises questions about the integrity of Stanley, who is one of the state Republican party’s fastest-rising young stars. It tends to implicate the McDonnell Administration in influence peddling. It shows how the democratic process can be throttled in intrigues involving a proposal to mine a 119 million pound uranium deposit near Chatham that could make billions for its owners.”
*”Stanley has close ties to McDonnell,” “in [sync] with McDonnell on just about every issue.”
*Stanley is now furiously backpedaling, claiming (lamely) that “he ‘misspoke’ when he brought up the name of Gov. Robert F. McDonnell during his Aug. 31 telephone call…” Yeah, right.
*Finally, I’d add that Stanley also has close ties to Rep. Robert Hurt (as you can see from the above video, Stanley and Hurt considered each other to be long-time friends), who is highly “radioactive” himself on this one, given his own “shocking conflict of interest” on the uranium mining issue.
In sum, a close political ally of Gov. McDonnell and Rep. Hurt was caught, on tape, in a radioactive (figuratively and maybe literally as well) scandal over uranium mining in Southside, Virginia. The question is, what did McDonnell and Hurt know about this, and when did they know it? And no, it’s simply not plausible that the either the Governor, or the U.S. Representative from the 5th CD, a longtime friend of Sen. Stanley’s (who succeeded Hurt in office), knew nothing about any of this.
P.S. Again, great work by Peter Galuszka. It’s too bad the “mainstream media” can’t and/or won’t do its job, but apparently it’s gotten to the point where it takes citizen journalists to do what the PAID ones are supposed to be doing. Let’s see if they have any pride, or shame, and follow up vigorously on this story. Personally, I’m not holding my breath, but I hope to be pleasantly surprised!
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
