RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Federal prosecutors have decided not to pursue federal criminal charges related to the resignation of a Democratic state senator that helped sink Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s effort to expand Medicaid. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Timothy J. Heaphy sent a letter to various interested parties Friday saying his office was closing its investigation into former Sen. Phil Puckett, whose decision to quit the Senate prompted potential job offers from powerful officials in both parties. His abrupt departure gave Republican control of the upper chamber. Puckett was in line for a potential high-level job at the GOP-controlled Virginia tobacco commission at the time of his resignation. He was also offered a potential job for his daughter not to resign by McAuliffe’s chief of staff, Paul Reagan.
