Virginia

UPDATED: VA Governor Backs Off Transvaginal Ultrasound Bill

Jillian Rayfield | February 22, 2012, 3:26PM

Bob McDonnell

Updated: February 22, 4:03 PM: The Virginia House of Delegates has passed the bill requiring women to undergo an ultrasound before getting an abortion, but has included an amendment stripping the bill of a controversial requirement for a transvaginal ultrasound, Sarah Kliff of the Washington Post reports.

Our earlier report follows below:

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) is backing off of the controversial legislation that would require women to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound before getting an abortion, recommending that the legislature put in amendments to soften the bill and only require a transabdominal ultrasound instead. "Mandating an invasive procedure in order to give informed consent is not a proper role for the state," McDonnell said in a statement.

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Virginia

Virginia's Ultrasound Bill Makes No Exceptions For Rape Or Incest

Pema Levy | February 22, 2012, 11:26AM

Image from Alexander Raths/ Shutterstock

The Virginia House is due to vote Wednesday on a bill which would require women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound. This is the final step before the bill arrives on the governor's desk.

The bill requires that the ultrasound operation helps show the physical aspects of the fetus and also detects a heartbeat. Since most abortions are sought during the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy, when the fetus is little larger than a grain of rice, this means many women would not undergo a procedure like the one depicted in the picture above. Instead, they would be obliged to endure an invasive "transvaginal" procedure. This has led opponents of the bill - many of them Democrats - to decry it as "state-sponsored rape."

This only adds to another controversial aspect of the bill: that unlike many laws which regulate abortion, Virginia's does not contain exemptions for victims of rape or incest.

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Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart: VA Ultrasound Bill Like A Vaginal TSA Pat-Down

David Taintor | February 22, 2012, 9:29AM

Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart on Tuesday returned to discussing the "punanny state," this time looking at a Virginia bill that would force women to have a transvaginal ultrasound before getting an abortion.

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Don't Ask Don't Tell

Gov. McDonnell Says No Way To New DADT For Va. National Guard

Rachel Slajda | December 21, 2010, 4:19PM

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R)

A state lawmaker from Virginia is so upset about the Congress repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell that he wants to institute a mini-DADT banning gay men and lesbians from the Virginia National Guard.

"It's a distraction when I'm on the battlefield and have to concentrate on the enemy 600 yards away and I'm worried about this guy whose got eyes on me," the lawmaker, Delegate Bob Marshall (R), told WUSA9. "If I needed a blood transfusion and the guy next to me had committed sodomy 14 times in the last month I'd be worried."

Marshall says he's working on legislation to institute a DADT-style state law. His authority to do so, he claims, comes from the clause of the U.S. Constitution which reads, "reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia."

But Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), who as the authority to deploy the state National Guard in a state emergency, says no way.

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Bobby Thompson

Accomplice Of 'Bobby Thompson' Arraigned In Alleged Charity Scam

Johanna Barr | October 27, 2010, 4:19PM

"Bobby Thompson" and George W. Bush

The Ohio Attorney General's office announced today that Blanca Contreras, an associate of the alleged charity scammer and GOP donor known as "Bobby Thompson," had been arraigned after being extradited from North Carolina. She pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering, money laundering, and aggravated theft. Bond was set at $2 million.

Contreras served as the acting treasurer for U.S. Navy Veterans Association, a fraudulent charity that Thompson allegedly operated from 2003 to 2010.

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Confederate History Month

McDonnell Cancels Confederate History Month

Rachel Slajda | September 27, 2010, 9:01AM

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell

Bob McDonnell, the Republican governor of Virginia, announced Friday morning that he will not declare next April "Confederate History Month."

McDonnell caused a stir this April when he proclaimed Confederate History Month, something that had been a tradition in the past but that his predecessors had skipped. Most critics made hay of the fact that he made no mention of slavery in the proclamation. He eventually apologized and added a clause about the "evil and inhumane practice."

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Ken Cuccinelli

Pressure Growing On Cuccinelli To Return Apparent Scamster's Dough

Zachary Roth | May 21, 2010, 6:08PM

VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Has Ken Cuccinelli miscalculated by standing on principle -- what principle that is, we're not too sure -- in refusing to give up donations from an apparent scam artist?

To recap: The second largest individual contributor to Cuccinelli's campaign for Virginia attorney general last year was Bobby Thompson, a Florida man who is the founder of the U.S. Navy Veterans Association, and who donated $55,500 to Cuccinelli.

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Ken Cuccinelli

Cuccinelli Won't Give Up Money From Founder Of Alleged Scam Charity -- Also Not Eager To Investigate

Zachary Roth | May 18, 2010, 11:08AM

VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Ken Cuccinelli says he has no plans to return contributions from a major backer whose veterans' charity is being probed in several states after a lengthy investigative report made it out to be a scam. The Virginia attorney general's office also doesn't sound eager to launch its own investigation of the charity.

Gov. Bob McDonnell's office said yesterday that it would donate to a legitimate veterans' charity the $5000 that McDonnell received last year from U.S. Navy Veterans Association founder Bobby Thompson. That move came in response to a series of stories in the St. Petersburg Times, which raised numerous red flags about USNVA, which claims to offer aid to navy veterans and raises money through phone solicitations. The stories revealed among other things that 84 of the group's 85 listed officers -- everyone but Thompson -- could not be located, and that USNVA refused to offer any documentation of its finances. The group is now being investigated by authorities in New Mexico, Missouri, and Florida, where it's based. Giving up the money is "the right thing to do," according to a McDonnell spokeswoman.

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Ken Cuccinelli

Top Cuccinelli Contributor's Mysterious 'Charity' Under Scrutiny

Zachary Roth | May 17, 2010, 12:07PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

A major backer of Ken Cuccinelli is being probed in several states for running a charity that a lengthy newspaper investigation suggests may be an elaborate and long-running fraud.

There's no evidence that Cuccinelli, now the attorney general of Virginia, was aware there was anything untoward about Bobby Thompson or his charity, the U.S. Navy Veterans Association (USNVA), which says it offers assistance to navy veterans. Still, the news has forced the ambitious AG -- whose reputation for rectitude is a key part of his appeal to conservatives -- to answer some awkward questions. And the full story of what happened in Virginia suggests how easily one state government may have been taken in by a noble-sounding cause and a some well-timed campaign contributions.

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Fred Malek

VA Gov Taps Nixon's 'Jew Counter' To Help Shrink State Gov't

Ben Frumin | May 10, 2010, 12:40PM

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Frederic Malek (inset)

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) needed someone to reform his state's government and shrink its budget. So who's he turning to? Fred Malek: right-wing insider and former President Richard Nixon's "Jew counter."

On Friday, McDonnell released a list of 31 names -- the members of his "Commission on Government Reform and Restructuring," which, according to the Washington Post, "will consider closing some of the state's 130 agencies" and will "consider selling the state's 350 liquor stores."

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Bob McDonnell

McDonnell Mum On Cuccinelli's Climate Science 'Witch Hunt'

Zachary Roth | May 6, 2010, 2:12PM

Virginia Att. Gov. Ken Cuccinelli and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell

Since news broke that Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is conducting a fraud investigation into the work of a former UVA climate scientist who was caught up in the "Climate-Gate" controversy, reactions have been pouring in -- with even some climate skeptics slamming the probe as a threat to academic freedom.

But one interested observer has been noticeably mum: Governor Bob McDonnell.

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Bob McDonnell

In Latest Rightward Shift, McDonnell Lets VA Police Pray To Jesus

Zachary Roth | April 29, 2010, 4:32PM

Va. Secretary of Administration Lisa Hicks-Thomas and Gov. McDonnell (R-VA) pause in memory of the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy

It's not long the worst thing he's done since taking office, but Virginia governor Bob McDonnell is certainly leaving little doubt as to who he's listening to.

McDonnell, a Republican, yesterday quietly reversed a policy, instituted under the previous governor, Democrat Tim Kaine, prohibiting Virginia State Police troopers from referring to Jesus Christ in public prayers.

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Bob McDonnell

VA Gov McDonnell: Letters To Felons On Voting Rights Sent In Error

Zachary Roth | April 14, 2010, 11:43AM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, (third from left), Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (center), Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (third from right) and others observe a moment of silence

Was the news about Virginia governor Bob McDonnell's move to make it harder for felons to vote all just a big misunderstanding? That's what he's now claiming.

A spokesman for the governor, a Republican, told the Washington Post that letters sent to over 200 felons, telling them that they would now have to submit an essay as part of the application process -- a process that previously had been almost automatic -- were sent in error, and that the essay idea was just a "draft policy proposal."

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Bob McDonnell

VA Gov McDonnell Institutes Writing Test For Felons Seeking Voting Rights

Zachary Roth | April 13, 2010, 6:03PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, (third from left), Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (center), Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (third from right) and others observe a moment of silence

Virginia's slide toward extreme conservative governance under Gov. Bob McDonnell continues.

McDonnell wants to change the process by which non-violent felons apply to have their voting rights restored, the Washington Post reported over the weekend. Whereas before, applicants had had to fill out a one-page form, making the process almost automatic, they now will have to submit an essay outlining their contributions to society since their release.

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Bob McDonnell

Sons Of Confederate Vets Split On McDonnell Apology

Zachary Roth | April 7, 2010, 7:06PM

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell

Some neo-Confederates aren't happy about Governor Bob McDonnell's apology this afternoon for failing to mention slavery in his proclamation of Confederate History Month.

In an interview with TPMmuckraker, Brandon Dorsey, of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, called McDonnell's move "an insult," and charged that the governor had undermined the purpose of the resolution," and damaged himself with his core supporters. But another member of the group disagreed, saying he supported the apology "one hundred percent."

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Ken Cuccinelli

Far-Right Virginia AG Launches PAC

Zachary Roth | April 7, 2010, 10:00AM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia's far-right attorney general, has launched a political action committee to bolster his influence within state politics.

"Liberty Now" is designed to "support the efforts of Ken Cuccinelli in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and to elect Republicans to non-federal offices in the Commonwealth of Virginia," according to a filing made by the organization with the IRS last month.

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Ken Cuccinelli

Virginia AG To State Colleges: Scrap Protections For Gay Workers

Zachary Roth | March 8, 2010, 11:06AM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

The administration of Virginia governor Bob McDonnell is doubling down on its anti-gay reputation, telling the state's colleges and universities to scrap policies that ban discrimination against gay employees.

In a letter to the state's institutions of higher learning, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli argues that the schools lack the legal authority to ban anti-gay discrimination, because only the state legislature can do so, the Washington Post reported over the weekend. That's a step that the GOP-controlled legislature recently declined to take.

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Scott Rothstein

Dem Govs Group Blasts Florida GOP Candidate Over $200K Rothstein Donation

Justin Elliott | November 18, 2009, 5:12PM

Scott Rothstein (inset)

The Democratic Governors Association is going after Bill McCollum, the likely GOP nominee in the race for Florida governor, in the wake of TPMmuckraker's report that the Republican Governors Association got a $200,000 from accused fraudster Scott Rothstein.

"Bill McCollum is spending the week with RGA leadership at their annual fundraiser - in fact, this is the same fundraiser where Rothstein contributed his $200K last year," said DGA communications director Emily DeRose in a statement. "McCollum has two choices: Will he ask the RGA to return the fraudulent money, or will he thank them for using it to boost his chances in Florida?"

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Bob McDonnell

Ponnuru: McDonnell Didn't Really Mean That Part About Working Women

Zachary Roth | September 2, 2009, 6:32PM

VA gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell

Nice try.

Ramesh Ponnuru of National Review, writing on Washingtonpost.com, does his best to misconstrue Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell's neanderthal master's thesis. Writes Ponnuru:

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Bob McDonnell

In Thesis, McDonnell Slammed Gays, Unwed Mothers, No-Fault Divorce

Eric Kleefeld and Zachary Roth | August 31, 2009, 4:04PM

VA gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell

The Washington Post yesterday reported on the masters thesis of Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell. As the paper noted, McDonnell argued, among other things, that working women and feminists are "detrimental" to the family; that government policy should favor married couples over "cohabitators, homosexuals or fornicators;" and that the court decision legalizing the use of contraception by unmarried couples was "illogical," because at the time non-marital sex was itself a crime.

Now we've taken our own look at the thesis -- written for Regent University in 1989, when McDonnell was already a married man of 34 years old. And it looks like the Post left out some other excerpts that might also give readers some pause.

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