From the Democratic Party of Virginia:
New emails obtained from Virginia Senator Donald McEachin’s Freedom of Information Act request for records pertaining to Ken Cuccinelli’s scandal with Star Scientific and CEO Jonnie Williams reveal that Cuccinelli dramatically undervalued the cost of his stay at Williams’ Goochland County Mansion.
As the internal emails linked below demonstrate, Cuccinelli and his staff decided that his month-long stay at Williams 9,000 square foot Goochland County mansion should be valued at $27 per day on his Statement of Economic Interest, a cost on par with low-rent long-stay motels in the Richmond metro area.
Cuccinelli’s unrealistic valuation of the cost of Williams’ gift raises questions about whether he intentionally sought to mislead Virginians about the depths of his financial relationship with Williams, who was locked in a years-long battle with Virginia to avoid paying state taxes and would later sue the Commonwealth over that matter.
“Ken Cuccinelli’s decision to mask the true value of the gifts he received from Jonnie Williams are just the latest examples of his clear pattern of putting his own personal and financial interests ahead of his responsibility to the people of Virginia,” said DPVA spokesman Brian Coy. “While ordinary Virginians do not have access to ‘gifts’ from rich patrons like free, month-long stays in 9,000 square foot mansions, Ken Cuccinelli had no problem leveraging his office to secure one for himself.
“It’s time for Ken Cuccinelli to come clean on the circumstances surrounding his stay at Jonnie Williams’ mansion and why Virginians just can’t trust him to put their best interests ahead of his personal and political agenda.”
To read the internal Cuccinelli emails discussing his $27 per-day mansion stay click here.
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