RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Former Gov. Bob McDonnell is telling jurors that the former CEO of a dietary supplements maker did not get any special treatment from his administration.
McDonnell testified that Star Scientific Inc. founder Jonnie Williams got little more than routine access.
The onetime rising Republican star began his much-anticipated testimony Wednesday. He and his wife, Maureen, are accused of accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from Williams in exchange for promoting his company's products.
Williams testified for the prosecution under immunity. He said he showered the McDonnells with gifts and loans to entice them to help him gain acceptance and state-backed research for his company's tobacco-based anti-inflammatory, Anatabloc.
The former governor's lawyers have suggested that Maureen McDonnell acted largely on her own to promote the product.
