Democrats are outraged at the deal we reported yesterday that gave Republicans a majority in the Virginia Senate.
From the Democratic Party of Virginia’s Twitter feed:
.@VA_GOP are so desperate to deny 400K Virginians health care, they’ll bribe their way through blocking expansion: http://t.co/7XkY8ZMW7h
— Virginia Democrats (@vademocrats) June 9, 2014
That’s straight-up accusing Terry Kilgore and other Republicans of criminal actions. Democrat-affiliated groups are calling for investigations, but can’t make up their mind as to who they’re most angry at, Republicans or their own Sen. Phil Puckett. From ProgressVA:
Virginians deserve answers over the next days over how state jobs were used as leverage in a political fight over extending affordable health care to Virginia families. Right now, it’s hard to decide who to be more disgusted with: Delegate Kilgore and his GOP colleagues who seem to be treating the Tobacco Commission as their own personal slush fund or Senator Puckett, who apparently has prioritized his personal interests over the best interests of his constituents.”
Funny, I don’t remember any outrage from DPVA when Boyd Marcus was promised a six-figure salary for his treachery. In fact, Terry McAuliffe called criticism of his quid pro quo with Marcus “petty.”
Regardless of that, the question remains whether the alleged deal was illegal. Here is, in relevant part, Virginia’s bribery law:
§ 18.2-447. When person guilty of bribery.
A person shall be guilty of bribery under the provisions of this article:
…
(2) If he accepts or agrees to accept from another…any pecuniary benefit offered, conferred or agreed to be conferred as consideration for or to obtain or influence the recipient’s decision, opinion, recommendation, vote or other exercise of discretion as a public servant or party official.
Sounds to me like there may be some fire underneath all this smoke. Is resigning from the Senate an “exercise of discretion as a public servant”? Clearly the Democrats think it is. I think they’re probably wrong, but we shall see soon enough.
UPDATE 06/09 2:29 PM: Reacting to the firestorm of criticism over the apparent promise of a job at the tobacco commission to Phil Puckett in exchange for his resignation from the Virginia Senate, the chairman of the commission, Del. Terry Kilgore (R-Scott) has now canceled the Wednesday meeting of the commission, which he had called last Friday for the purpose of hiring a new staff member.
So, we have the quid but no quo, yet: Puckett’s resignation is official, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll get what he was promised.
The Times-Dispatch also reports that Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment (R-James City County), who disclaims any knowledge of a deal with former Sen. Puckett, said he plans to use the new majority to push for passage of budget without Medicaid expansion language. But, right now pro-Obamacare votes in the Senate still total 22, versus 17 opposed, so it isn’t clear just how Norment thinks this can happen. Pressure on GOP Senators Watkins, Stosch, and Hanger to change their minds on Medicaid expansion—or to at least agree to debate it separately—is now going to reach its peak.
14 comments
I’m having a hard time digesting the “outrage” by some people over convincing Puckett to retire, thus giving us the chance to stop the disastrous idea of expanding Obamacare in VA.
Let’s look at things from Puckett’s perspective. He was redistricted into a district that was heavily Republican and barely held on his last race. It was almost a lead pipe cinch that he was going to lose in 2015. In addition, his presence in the Senate was stopping his daughter’s career in its tracks.
By resigning, he gets to step down from the seat on his own terms, and clears the way for his daughter’s career. Being offered a chance to go back to a job where he previously worked is just icing on the cake.
This appears much worse than the Boyd Marcus incident. So if the Republicans don’t respond with at least the same amount of outrage, there goes what’s left of their remaining ethics and credibility. The Republicans raised the stakes by howling at the Marcus affair and could have easily said “hey, that’s politics”.
Why isn’t the story ‘Democrat Suspected of Accepting Bribe’?
Democrats discussing ethics is like members of the world’s oldest profession discussing virginity. I guess that’s why Politics is the second oldest profession.
Hillarious, and so true!
I agree on the Marcus nomination. I told the General Assembly members to subpoena his emails as part of a confirmation process (before rejecting him) but no one listened to me. (Not the first time.) I say cancel the tobacco commission appointment. What do we care? Puckett has already resigned. Sen. Kilgore made some unfortunate comments to the media here that only added to the firestorm. Was the following statement necessary? If Puckett resigns, the legislature plans to appoint her to a full six-year term. “It should pave the way for his daughter,” Kilgore said of Puckett’s resignation. “She’s a good judge. . . . I would say that he wanted to make sure his daughter kept her judgeship. A father’s going do that.” And this ““If he’s available, we would like to have him because of his knowledge of the area, and he formerly was on the tobacco commission for years, and he knew what we’re about,” Kilgore said.
This Senator could have said no and put those responsible in the hot seat, but “shockingly” he didn’t which should make you think maybe all this hot air about it being a big Republican party bribe without a known or reputable source is really this man covering up having disagreed with the expansion and confronted the Republicans about a “deal”. But no let’s not blame the Dem.
Sounds like what he cares most about is his daughter staying on the bench
Democrat officials ought to be careful throwing around that “B” word. It is coming awfully close to an actionable case for defamation.
They have no reason not too. The best affirmative defense against any case for defamation is the absolute true. Democrats would welcome a defamation suit. It would give them discovery tools, nevermind, the standard for public officials suing for defamation is different than private folk.
The three republicans will cave and vote against medicaid expansion. They have no reason not to and may reasons, (cough committee chairs) to do it.
from your keypad to their votes!
Even moreso – “for or to obtain or influence the recipients decision” is where the law will be explored. I’ll be suprised if anything comes of this, despite that its a class 4/5 felony, although, Herring may jump on it – which would be dumb because this is one of those “unadjudicated felonies” that 50% of our representatives are guilty of. Isn’t it nice knowing that half of our legislators are unadjudicated felons? For that reason, herring will probably punt.
“I’m shocked — SHOCKED! — that there [are politics] going on here!”