Is Bob McDonnell Going to Return the Drug Money?

Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell, and John L. Brownlee, United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, announced today that earlier this morning The Purdue Frederick Company, Inc., along with its President, Chief Legal Officer, and former Chief Medical Officer pleaded guilty to charges of misbranding Purdue's addictive and highly abusable drug OxyContin. Purdue and the three executives will pay a total of $634,515,475 in fines.  The guilty pleas today are the result of a four year long criminal investigation that was initiated by the Virginia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit under the direction of then-Attorney General Jerry Kilgore.

OxyContin is a Schedule II prescription pain relief medication, classified as having the highest potential for abuse of legally available drugs. According to the State Medical Examiner in Roanoke, Dr. William Massello, between the years of 1996-2005 228 individuals died in the western part of Virginia from oxycodone overdoses. Oxycodone is the main ingredient in OxyContin.

That's great, except for one thing: Bob McDonnell has taken contributions from the very same industry that he's now bragging about having busted.  According to VPAP and Political Money Line:
*Purdue Pharma LP donated $500 to McDonnell for Attorney General (11/12/2005)

*Purdue Pharma LP lobbyist Siran S. Faulders donated $500 to McDonnell for Attorney General (9/17/2005)

*Purdue Pharma LP lobbyist Ashley L. Taylor, Jr. donated $800 to McDonnell for Attorney General (9/16/05, 1/10/05)

*Purdue Pharma LP donated $35,000 to the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) in 2005 (9/26/06, 1/7/05)

*The RSLC's Virginia committee was McDonnell-¦s biggest contributor, donating $2,083,500 over the course of his campaign.

Maybe McDonnell should return those contributions if he feels so strongly about the issue, or least recuse himself from any further involvement?  Just a thought.

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