TERRY MCAULIFFE—a long-term ally of Hillary Clinton—was elected governor of Virginia in 2013 because, as a Democrat, he represented a clean break from the corruption scandal that brought his Republican predecessor, Bob McDonnell, low. Indeed, Mr McAuliffe made ethics reform a major theme of his administration. But only three years later, Mr McAuliffe has found himself under investigation by the Department of Justice.
Virginia, which produced many of the early icons of American representative government, is usually known for upright politics; for two consecutive governors to be tarnished in this way is unfortunate. Mr McDonnell was convicted in 2014 of selling his office, but is appealing to the Supreme Court. The McAuliffe controversy, though it should not be compared to Mr McDonnell’s case, may be important for different reasons. Mr McAuliffe is a major fundraiser for Mrs Clinton, and he governs a swing state that is critical to her chances in November. While Mrs Clinton’s nomination in July may be assured, she still faces many challenges, foremost among them federal scrutiny of her use of a private email server as secretary of...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/1qP3mad
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