"The Republicans proposed transportation solution is to steal over $250 million from the General Fund. We may build roads with this money, but it will be at the expense of our teachers, our first responders, and other vital services that Virginians rely upon."
Richmond—Senator A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico) today responded to Governor McDonnell’s remarks this morning on WTOP’s “Ask the Governor” show, where the Governor said he did not know the details of Fred Malek’s, chair of the Governor’s newly appointed commission on governmental reform, $100,000 SEC fine. The governor then further said that these things happen in business, that “people in business 20, 30, 40, 50 years often have regulatory violations,” without ever acknowledging that Mr. Malek and his firm actually paid a quarter of a million dollar fine.
Senator McEachin expressed his very serious concerns with the Governor’s seeming acceptance and indifference to unethical and illegal behavior that resulted in a substantial fine.
For Governor McDonnell to imply that this kind of behavior is acceptable and allowable, even normal, is exactly the very reason that Virginians and Americans are frustrated and fed up with government. This did not happen thirty or forty years ago, but happened in 2004, a few short years ago! To ever tolerate corruption and illegal activity is totally unacceptable. Virginians deserve better. We deserve to know that our governor will seek out the very best, most highly qualified and above ethical reproach individuals to serve in our government. This government belongs to Virginians and we need that the individuals participating in it be ethical and above board. For us to have any confidence in the workings of this commission and this administration, we need to know that the Governor will insist on the highest ethical standards and will not tolerate illegal behavior of any kind.
The wrangling over Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's investigation of a climate scientist continues...
...
Also yesterday, Democratic legislator Donald McEachin said he planned to introduce a bill that would bar the state's AG from issuing subpoenas unless he has filed a lawsuit. McEachin said the bill was intended to ensure that the AG could not issue subpoenas without a judge having the ability to throw out the underlying case as frivolous.
Richmond—Senator A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico) today issued a statement condemning Attorney General Cuccinelli’s harassment of the University of Virginia scientist, Professor Mann.
This is not only ludicrous and frivolous, wasting more taxpayer dollars and trampling on academic freedom, but the Attorney General has deprived Mr. Mann of his constitutional rights. In this country, based on our Constitution, we have an adversarial system of justice that gives defendants certain rights. Those rights include the ability to ask the plaintiff for information, to file motions and, most importantly, to have a frivolous lawsuit quashed. However, because the Attorney General, who has sworn to uphold the Constitution and the Virginia Constitution, as he has frequently reminded us, has chosen to ignore and circumvent that system, Mr. Mann has lost those rights. If Attorney General Cuccinelli had filed this as a lawsuit and then issued subpoenas based on that lawsuit, Mr. Mann would be able to ask the judge to dismiss the lawsuit and, in the small likelihood it was not dismissed as ludicrous, Professor Mann could then file his own motions and request certain information from the Attorney General. If he can go after Professor Mann, then no Virginian is safe from the oppressive reach of the Attorney General’s strong arm and the invasive powers of his office.
Donald recently joined Rachel Maddow on MSNBC to discuss the priorities and policies of Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli. We hope you'll take a moment to watch. If you want to keep up to date on Donald's appearances, don't forget to join our email list.
No Democrat went toe-to-toe with Cuccinelli in Senate debates more than Sen. A. Donald McEachin of Henrico, the unsuccessful 2001 Democratic attorney general nominee. McEachin, a lawyer and co-holder of the largest personal injury award ever upheld in Virginia, respects and likes Cuccinelli, despite his disdain for his health care lawsuit.
"His legal reasoning was always very sound," McEachin said. "That's why I can't believe he's taking this suit to court against health care. There's not a respected legal scholar in this country who believes it's going to succeed."
News
