(Associated Press photo)
Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s fate is in the hands of three federal appeals court judges. A panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in McDonnell’s public corruption case Tuesday. The court usually takes a few weeks to rule. McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were convicted of taking more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from a wealthy businessman in exchange for promoting his company’s dietary supplements. The former governor was sentenced to two years in prison, his wife to one year and one day. Tuesday’s arguments focused on two major issues — whether McDonnell was convicted based on an overly broad definition of what constitutes an “official act” and whether jurors were properly questioned about whether they were influenced by news reports about the case.
