McDonnell's 'Crazy Wife' Defense Is Totally Unprecedented
By CATHERINE THOMPSON Published AUGUST 28, 2014, 6:00 AM EDT
Jurors could begin deliberating as early as Friday in the federal corruption case against Virginia ex-Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and his wife Maureen. Over five weeks of testimony, jurors have heard a barrage of details about the McDonnells finances and about their interactions with a wealthy Virginia businessman, Jonnie Williams, from whom the couple is accused of taking $177,000 worth of gifts and loans in exchange for lending the credibility of the governors office to Williams dietary supplements company.
But without a doubt, the most engrossing aspect of the trial has been the revelations about the McDonnells marriage. In testimony, the governor painted a picture of his marriage veering so far into soap opera territory that pundits began referring to it as the crazy wife defense. Legal experts told TPM that was an unprecedented strategy to deploy in such a high-profile criminal case.
When the former governor the took the stand, he cast his wife as a mercurial thorn in his side not to mention that of the entire Executive Mansion staff. Under questioning by the defense, various other witnesses described Maureen McDonnell as a hoarder, "diva-ish" and "pathologically incapable of taking any kind of responsibility." One former aide testified that the governor was "in denial about Mrs. McDonnells mental capacity."
For his part, McDonnell testified that he considered his marriage on hold while in the governors mansion and further revealed that he moved out of his home just before the trial began, opting to live with his parish priest in order to prepare for court each day away from Maureen McDonnell. Defense attorneys are hoping that all this testimony proves to jurors that communication between the McDonnells was too strained for them to have been able to conspire together to promote Williams company.
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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/bob-mcdonnells-crazy-wife-defense-is-unprecedented
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"The devil...errr, I mean my wife, made me do it"