Former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell in April after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the appeal of his public corruption conviction. Before the McDonnell saga, legislators were free to accept gifts of any size as long as they reported any worth more than $50. State Sen. Stephen D. Newman (R-Lynchburg) was an outlier 10 years ago when he posted a sign at his Richmond office that waves away even the smallest tokens. NO GIFTS PLEASE!”Once the McDonnell affair got rolling, more legislators followed suit. But it’s better.”Bob Holsworth, a former Virginia Commonwealth University political scientist, said legislators seem to have a different mind-set about gifts.

Source: Washington Post September 08, 2016 22:39 UTC