In the Richmond Times-Dispatch, David Ress reports that Wilder aide Paul Goldman has been suspended without pay for six weeks for his work for the Kaine campaign. Goldman, Wilder’s right-hand man, accepted a $15,000 payment from the Kaine campaign three days after Wilder endorsed Kaine, which looks very much like a bribe. (I’m not saying it was — I have no idea. But it looks like one.) Goldman has done GOTV consultancy for many years, and he and the Kaine campaign say that’s just what he was doing this time.
Even if it was all on the up-and-up, it creates the appearance of impropriety for the mayor’s office. And if Mayor Wilder ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.
One can’t help but wonder if the real problem is that Goldman took more than his “fair share” of the “fee.”
And, not that anyone will ever know for sure, I wonder how much money McDonnell paid to get Wilder to totally trash Deeds the way he did? Face it, the Repugnicans knew Kilgore was tanking and there was nothing they could do to save him. Again, those who know won’t tell, but there are quite a few folks who will go to the graves believing that with little bit o’prayer and a whole lotta money, Big Daddy Doug and Paulie “Knows Stuff” Goldman managed to deliver a squeaker of a defeat to Deeds.