Politics & Government
Cuccinelli: No Plans to Give Back $18K in Gifts
The Republican nominee for governor said Wednesday he won't return gifts from Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams.
While Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has spent the last couple of weeks giving back thousands of dollars gifts to Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said this week he intends to do no such thing with the $18,000 in gifts he also received from the executive.
Cuccinelli, the Republican candidate for governor, told reporters in Richmond on Wednesday that he’s pleased the governor is returning gifts from Williams, but that he wouldn’t be doing the same, according to the Washington Post.
“There are some bells you can’t unring,” Cuccinelli said.
According to disclosure reports, Williams has given Cuccinelli a number of gifts, including catering for a $1,500 Thanksgiving dinner, flights on a private jet and vacation lodging.
Cuccinelli failed to disclose the gifts at first, but amended his reports. Michael Herring, a Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney, released a report last month that found Cuccinelli had broken no laws.
That hasn’t stopped Democrats and supporters of Terry McAuliffe, Cuccinelli’s opponent in the 2013 election, from demanding Cuccinelli give back the gifts.
“Ken Cuccinelli should admit he was wrong, reimburse Williams for the gifts that created the scandal, and apologize for tarnishing Virginia's reputation for clean and transparent government,” said state Sen. Mark Herring, the Democratic candidate for attorney general, in a statement this week.
Find out what's happening in Arlingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Cuccinelli campaign has repeatedly dismissed the claims, instead trying to link McAuliffe and his former green-energy car company, GreenTech Automotive, to a federal investigation.
Find out what's happening in Arlingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
