McDonnell softens stance on Sledd

In an article in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Tyler Whitley wrote:

McDonnell hinted that his appointee as secretary of commerce and trade, Robert C. Sledd of Richmond, might quit two corporate boards because of criticism that the dual roles might constitute a conflict of interest. While he said he expects the legislature to confirm Sledd, McDonnell said he did not want his nominee to get bogged down in controversy.

This is a far cry from Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell’s earlier stance that he would allow members of his cabinet to serve on corporate boards.  Senator Janet Howell, chair of the Privileges and Elections Committee, has said that she will vote against Sledd if he does not step down from the corporate boards.

I was not at the press conference yesterday. But in my conversations with a few of the people who were, I have learned that Whitley’s interpretation is not off. Here’s what one of my sources told me:

McDonnell emphasized yesterday that he’ll do what it takes to get Sledd confirmed. He kept repeating “We’re going to make sure that Mr. Sledd is confirmed” and saying “We’ll work it out.” He didn’t specifically say that Sledd would resign from the boards if necessary but he definitely left that out there as an option.

As of this writing, the McDonnell campaign has not denied the Whitley story.

There is also, apparently, the option of some middle ground: increasing the disclosure requirements for Sledd. How exactly this would work – the boards would have to agree to this – is still a question.

It appears that McDonnell is concerned about the appearance of impropriety here – and that’s a good thing. I’ll be watching to see how this plays out.

h/t Tertium Quids