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Limits to Generosity of Key Witness in McDonnell Corruption Trial

The star witness in the corruption trial of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell says there was a limit to his generosity.

On the stand yesterday Jonnie Williams said that after providing more than $150-thousand in gifts to the governor and his wife Maureen he balked at buying their daughter a car and selling Maureen McDonnell a Range Rover at a discount.

The new testimony appears to back the prosecution’s claim that it was the McDonnells who were asking for gifts and that he only gave them as a way to get access to the governor’s office.

Williams said he was hoping to get state researchers to study a dietary supplement as chief executive of the Virginia based Star Scientific.

He eventually resigned his position with the company.

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Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.