is the title of this piece at Talking Points Memo that went up a few hours ago.
It will give a pretty thorough background on Jonnie Williams, the man whose gifts and relationships with both Gov. Bob McDonnell and Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial nominee Ken Cuccinelli have totally roiled Virginia politics, and become a focus of the likes of Rachel Maddow.
Here's how the piece states:
Looking back on it now, you wonder how he pulled it off.
A few days before Christmas in 1980, Jonnie Williams shuttered his shop, Colonial Opticians, in Fredericksburg, Va., and skipped town. Williams was in his mid-20s, and he left behind him tens of thousands of dollars in debt (including the balance on a $45,000 Small Business Administration loan), hundreds of frames and lenses and other optical equipment, and a reputation as a flamboyant “super salesman” with a taste for the good life.
The piece is well sourced, gives you the history of Williams' business involvements, including making a large amount of money even when the businesses fail.
It does point out that Virginia disclosure laws are such that it is possible neither Cuccinelli nor McDonnell broke any applicable Virginia laws, although I remind people that McDonnell is currently under investigation by both Federal and Virginia authorities, in the former case looking specifically to see if there was any "pay for play" transactions.
Williams is currently represented by among other former Republican Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore (who lost the gubernatorial election in 2005 won by Tim Kaine, in the same cycle that McDonnell very narrowly defeated Creigh Deeds, the man whom 4 years later he would crush in the Governor's race, winning his own term as AG).
One question still remains - why Williams was being so generous with key politicians. As the piece concludes
Over the past decade, while his company lost more and more money, Williams and his company gave more and more donations to Virginia politicians, including Kilgore, McDonnell, and Cuccinelli. What is unknown so far is what, if any, purpose Williams and Star Scientific saw in their political contributions. For now, Williams, the super salesman, the ultimate talker, is staying quiet.
That remains a huge question, one that until it is satisfactorily answered will continue to have impact on politics in Virginia, and on both Republican elected officials who benefited from their relationship to Jonnie Williams.
Go read the TPM piece.