McDonnell reminds jurors that he was once a skilled prosecutor, too. Bob McDonnell's courtroom combat

RICHMOND, Va. — Bob McDonnell may be best-known as a Republican politician whose promising career was cut short by a federal indictment, but on Monday, he reminded jurors that he was once a skilled prosecutor, too.

As he faced a rough cross-examination in his public corruption trial, the former Virginia governor’s own courtroom training was vividly on display. Under pressure, he pushed back; grilled on his actions, he demanded specifics; and every now and then, he drew some laughs.


His political career may be over and his marriage a wreck, but McDonnell’s savvy sparring on the stand proved he could go toe-to-toe with the forces that want to throw him in jail.

McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, face a 14-count indictment tied largely to corruption. Prosecutors allege that the couple improperly used their official capacity to assist a local businessman, Jonnie Williams, in exchange for more than $165,000 in gifts and loans. The defense argues the McDonnells couldn’t have cooked up such a conspiracy because their marriage was in shambles and they barely spoke to each other, and that Bob McDonnell gave Williams “routine” treatment.

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Prosecutor Michael Dry conducted an aggressive cross examination, though in a largely understated tone. With his slight drawl, he hammered McDonnell over the slew of gifts the governor’s family accepted, from fancy golf outings and, for one McDonnell daughter, a $15,000 wedding present, to a nearly $20,000 New York City shopping spree for Maureen McDonnell and lavish vacations for both parents and kids.

Dry was seeking to show that Bob McDonnell was aware of the gifts and loans — even involved in obtaining them — and that his family’s financial struggles made him more open to dealing with Williams.

McDonnell wasn’t having any of it.

At every turn, he resisted, asking for specifics, saying he was being misquoted and accusing Dry of asking several questions in one. On multiple occasions, he forced Dry to repeat questions or break them down. He also sought permission to expand on his answers, sometimes declining to give yes-or-no responses.

And at times, sounding like the press-savvy politician he once was, he said he simply couldn’t comment.

( PHOTOS: Bob and Maureen McDonnell trial)

McDonnell, on occasion, also brought lighter moments to the drama.

When Dry asked about a Louis Vuitton wallet Maureen McDonnell received from Williams, the ex-governor replied, “I wouldn’t recognize a Louis Vuitton, Mr. Dry.”

The courtroom tittered and at least one man could be overhead saying, “I wouldn’t either.”

McDonnell served as Virginia’s attorney general from 2006-09. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame and, as he has testified during the past week, struggled to put himself through law school at Regent University. McDonnell went on to serve as a prosecutor in Virginia Beach before going into politics.

“He’s doing well. He’s obviously a lawyer,” said Julia Porter, an attorney from Alexandria who came down to watch the proceedings. She noted that the former governor has pointed out “that a question has more than one part; he’s not at all [flustered], very well-prepared.”

But the prosecution also came well-prepared, armed with photographs, emails and other documentation designed to destroy some of the arguments central to the defense. At the beginning of questioning, Dry asked McDonnell whether it was the case that there are “emails, text [messages] and testimony” from friends, family and staff, to corroborate the prosecution’s theory of the case. McDonnell wouldn’t concede that, but Dry set out to prove that point.

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For example, McDonnell and his lawyers have posited that it was his wife, Maureen, who orchestrated most of the dealings with Williams, and that he knew little about those because they had serious marriage problems and barely communicated. Dry, however, showed several pictures of the couple holding hands and sharing an umbrella on the way to and from court proceedings.

He also said McDonnell and his wife had taken 18 vacations in 22 months.

But McDonnell wanted proof.

“You’ll have to show me on a calendar, Sir,” he said, after Dry asked about one trip. “I don’t remember that.”

So Dry had to walk through each trip with hard copies of the travel plans on a screen for the jurors. The optics weren’t likely to help McDonnell — the evidence of the trips’ occurrences stacked up — but the ex-governor made his legal opponent work to score points (McDonnell also dismissed the vacations as trips with family and friends, not romantic getaways).

On several instances, McDonnell corrected Dry.

When the prosecutor suggested that the McDonnells “drove” somewhere, the ex-governor noted that they didn’t drive, they rode along. When Dry, in discussing a pricey, golf-related gift from Williams, mentioned that McDonnell has played golf for 30 years, the former lawmaker interjected that it was actually “40.”

( PHOTOS: Bob McDonnell's career)

Whenever possible, McDonnell tried to take control of the situation — sometimes taking a gentler tack by seeking to elaborate, giving the appearance of an eagerness to cooperate — though that wasn’t always an option.

To some questions, McDonnell didn’t have a quick retort or counter-question, and at times seemed visibly at a loss for an answer.

McDonnell also argued last week that he was too busy to micromanage every element of his wife’s life and her finances — though, he suggested, it was in his nature to do so. The prosecution aimed to show that he was, in fact, contemporaneously aware of, and sometimes involved in, many of her actions.

During that kind of questioning, McDonnell sometimes showed signs of exasperation or frustration, his voice rising, especially when he had to reiterate that he didn’t recall a particular conversation or instance.

If convicted, the McDonnells could face hefty fines and jail time. Still, they likely would appeal a conviction.

And as of Monday, noted Jim Clark, a retired lawyer and Porter’s husband, McDonnell “isn’t conceding much of anything.”