Over at his blog, Ox Road South, Sen. Chap Petersen lays out where we are now with regard to Gov. Bob McDonnell, and where we need to go moving forward. A few key points:
*Since Sen. Petersen posted his letter to the Governor 12 days ago, he has “received no response to my letter from the Executive Office,” while the scandal(s) have only grown in size and severity.
*”Notwithstanding this rising tide of outrage, there appears to be a mild consensus – perhaps unspoken – in the Political Establishment that the Governor is a lame duck and should be allowed to finish out his term, at least until some concrete action is taken by the Federal grand jury investigating these gifts.”
*This consensus is wrong for two important reasons: 1) McDonnell faces serious legal trouble, including “a potential Hobbs Act indictment for ‘influence peddling;'” and 2) “the Governor is hardly a lame duck,” with plenty of powers he can exercise over his remaining 6 months in office.
*Bottom line: it’s time for Gov. McDonnell to “come clean” now,” and if not then it’s time for “Article IV, Section 16 of the Constitution,” which “states that any state official, including the Governor, can be impeached by the House of Delegates for ‘malfeasance in office, corruption, neglect of duty, or other high crime or misdemeanor.'”
Meanwhile, despite rumors swirling around that Bob McDonnell has been negotiating his resignation, he hasn’t done so yet, and he might never do so for all we know. Which means, yes, it’s time for the Legislative Branch – an independent, co-equal branch of government, last I checked – to do its freakin’ job for a change (and I’m not talking about idiocy like impeaching the President for a consensual sex act). What a concept, I know!
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
