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Former Va. Gov. Bob McDonnell: ‘If I could do it over again, I wouldn’t take any gifts’

Posted at 11:52 AM, Apr 30, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-30 11:52:07-04

Bob McDonnell

RICHMOND, Va. – Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell says if he could re-do his time as governor, he would not accept any of the gifts and loans he received.

McDonnell was accused of using his official role as governor to promote the company of a wealthy businessman. In exchange, prosecutors said he and his wife got thousands of dollars in loans and gifts, including vacations, golf equipment, expensive clothes and a Rolex watch.

“If I do it over again, I was governor, I wouldn’t take any gifts. I didn’t need them,” he said.  “You know, having a family vacation after working 15 hours a day at a nice lake resort with my family…I appreciated that,” McDonnell told CBS Correspondent Bill Whitaker.

Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were found guilty of corruption in 2014. The US Supreme Court tossed out Bob McDonnell’s conviction in June, saying the prosecution went too far in how it defined official acts.

Watch News 3 Sunday evening at 7 p.m. to see Bob McDonnell’s full interview on “60 Minutes.”