McDonnell repays $124,000 in loans to booster and benefactor, apologizes for accepting them

Source: Associated Press

By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, July 23, 2:43 PM

RICHMOND, Va. — Gov. Bob McDonnell said Tuesday he has repaid two loans totaling more than $120,000 made to his wife and a business he and his sister own from a major political booster who also has provided his family with thousands of dollars in gifts.

In a statement from McDonnell’s private legal and communications team, the Republican governor with less than six months remaining on his term issued an extraordinarily plaintive apology for his ties to Jonnie R. Williams, the chief executive of troubled nutritional supplements maker Star Scientific Inc.

“I am deeply sorry for the embarrassment certain members of my family and I brought upon my beloved Virginia and her citizens. I want you to know that I broke no laws and that I am committed to regaining your sacred trust and confidence. I hope today’s action is another step toward that end,” the governor said in the statement released through his private communications consultant, Rich Galen.

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The statement also marks the governor’s first substantial public reckoning to date over the gifts he and his family have received since he took office in January 2010 that are at the center of federal and state criminal investigations and have brought his job-approval ratings to the lowest point of his term.

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Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mcdonnell-repays-124000-in-loans-to-booster-and-benefactor-apologizes-for-accepting-them/2013/07/23/d2dd2dfa-f3c2-11e2-81fa-8e83b3864c36_story.html