Photo: McDonnell signing bill with Dominion CEO Thomas Farrell at Dominion headquarters, from Blue Ridge Leader.
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Today, the hubris of Virginia legislators may well have reached critical mass.
A bill has been percolating that would artificially inflate power rates and prevent monopoly oversight of the most corrupt company in the state.
According to an anonymous Senate Democratic source, when the bill came up today, “Dominion gives them money, and they told them if they didn’t support it, they would pull the money.”
If what the Senate source said is true, and Dominion threatened to withhold campaign funds from those that didn’t vote for the bill, that is completely and totally illegal.
You can give campaign funds for people who support your views, but they’re supposed to be independent of any decisions legislators make.
§ 18.2-439. Acceptance of bribe by officer or candidate.
If any executive, legislative or judicial officer, sheriff or police officer, or any candidate for such office, accept in this Commonwealth, or if, being resident in this Commonwealth, such officer or candidate shall go out of this Commonwealth and accept and afterwards return to and reside in this Commonwealth, any gift or gratuity or any promise to make a gift or do any act beneficial to such officer or candidate under an agreement, or with an understanding, that his vote, opinion or judgment shall be given on any particular side of any question, cause or proceeding which is or may be by law brought before him in his official capacity or that in such capacity he shall make any particular nomination or appointment or take or fail to take any particular action or perform any duty required by law, he shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony and shall forfeit his office and be forever incapable of holding any office of honor, profit or trust under the Constitution of Virginia.
If the anonymous source can show or testify to the fact that Dominion is engaged in a vote-buying scheme, I would contact the feds. If I were in a good government group, I would convene the litigation team. If I were an editor, I would dispatch the best investigative journalist.
The briber is also guilty of a Class 4 felony:
§ 18.2-438. Bribes to officers or candidates for office.
If any person corruptly give, offer or promise to any executive, legislative or judicial officer, sheriff or police officer, or to any candidate for such office, either before or after he shall have taken his seat, any gift or gratuity, with intent to influence his act, vote, opinion, decision or judgment on any matter, question, cause or proceeding, which is or may be then pending, or may by law come or be brought before him in his official capacity, he shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony and shall forfeit to the Commonwealth any such gift or gratuity given.
Dominion has been ripping us off for years, including getting a cool $30 million from the out-of-control tobacco mission, while Richmond’s schools are literally crumbling for the lack of $90,000 to fix a roof.
They may have made a huge mistake.
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