RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell deflected a question about the on-going legal battle between between the state and the former chef at the Virginia Executive Mansion.
At the end of a 30-minute conference call from Asia about his current trade mission, the governor was asked about recent developments in the legal case. Specifically a motion filed by former chef Todd Schneider that some political experts believed was designed to embarrass the governor and his family.
“There’s a lot that I liked to say about that, but there’s a pending criminal case,” the governor said. “These are allegations made by a defendant in a criminal case. I believe that the prosecutors in that case will handle that case well and I’d refer any questions on that to them.”
This week Schneider’s defense team filed a motion in circuit court for the state to turn over information deemed important to the case. The defense team wanted information like whether Schneider or his catering company employees were ever told to take food or supplies from the Executive Mansion instead of receiving payment for their work.
Defense lawyers also asked for information as to whether the Governor’s wife and children ever took food from the mansion to use at college or for private parties.
[WEB EXTRA: GOLDMAN: Food fight gets messy as ex-chef ‘threatens’ Governor McDonnell]
Schneider, who also owns a private catering company called Great Seasons, is charged with taking state property while he worked at the mansion. He is scheduled to go on trial in July.
Governor McDonnell has been overseas since April 10 on a “job creation and economic development marketing mission.” He is due back in Virginia on April 26.
