When you step in a mud puddle and soak your socks and dirty your pants, you shrug your shoulders and say, “It happens.”
When Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe is under federal investigation, he shrugs his shoulders and says, “It happens.”
“As you can see today, I’m full out in force, and will continue to be full out in force, and, you know, investigations happen,” McAuliffe told reporters this week. “No one’s alleged any wrongdoing on my part. There’s an individual who wrote a check who we feel 100 percent certain is entitled to write the check.”
CNN reported Monday that McAuliffe was the subject of a federal probe partly tied to political contributions he received from Chinese businessman Wang Wenliang. The governor’s lawyer confirmed to the network Wednesday that McAuliffe indeed was under investigation, but that the Justice Department said it was in relation to McAuliffe’s business ties during his time as a private citizen, not campaign finance.
The governor is correct in asserting that he has not been charged with any violation, or even accused of one. But donations, lobbying, email servers—whatever the issue, it’s not small-time to have the federal government launch an inquiry into the dealings of a public official.
If it was, it’d be fit for a bumper sticker. But I doubt Forrest Gump would’ve considered “investigations happen” to be a hot seller.
