VA AG-elect McDonnell tied to Abramoff

[AlecBGreen]

While I appreciate their efforts to knock off Cantor, these guys sound like grade-A crooks who need to go down hard. Spread the word...

Consultants for Va. Candidate Linked to Indicted Lobbyist

By James V. Grimaldi
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 3, 2005; Page B04

Two key campaign consultants for Virginia attorney general candidate Robert F. McDonnell established a nonprofit group five years ago that its director now says was used almost exclusively to secretly fund political efforts -- including one organized by indicted Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

McDonnell, a lawyer and state delegate from Virginia Beach, provided legal advice and his law firm did work for the nonprofit group, according to its former executive director, Robin Vanderwall. Vanderwall said he does not know whether McDonnell knew of the group's activities but said everything he did was at the direction of McDonnell's current political strategists.

Vanderwall also has ties to McDonnell: He ran the Republican's 1999 campaign for the General Assembly. Vanderwall is now serving a seven-year prison term after he was convicted of soliciting sex from a minor on the Internet. In telephone interviews and correspondence from state prison, Vanderwall said the nonprofit group, Faith and Family Alliance, was used as a pass-through to fund Abramoff's campaign against an Internet gambling ban and to attack U.S. House candidate Eric I. Cantor in his 2000 primary race.

[underpants]

1. Ha!

Cantor is too close to the top of the Repubs to not being heavily connected in this.