RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is officially a free man, but he paid a heavy price to get there.
Prosecutors announced Thursday they will not pursue a second trial against McDonnell or his wife on corruption charges, a decision that comes more than two months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction.
The move by the Department of Justice finalizes a years-long legal saga that ruined the Republican’s once promising political career and put his family’s most embarrassing moments in full public view. It also caps what McDonnell said in a statement has been a transformational event for him personally.
“I have become grateful for this experience of suffering, having used it to examine deeply all aspects of my life, and my role in the circumstances that led to this painful time for my beloved family and commonwealth,” said McDonnell, a devout Catholic. “I have begun to consider how I might repurpose my life for further service to my fellow man outside of elected office. Polls and politics no longer seem that important. People and policies are.”
McDonnell was once one of the GOP’s brightest rising stars. He was a popular swing-state governor with conservative credentials and middle-of-the-road appeal. It was no surprise when he made the short list of potential running mates for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012.