FATHER OF THE BRIDE

VA Gov.: $15K for Daughter’s Wedding a Gift

Says he did not pay for his daughter’s 2011 event.

This does not sound as charming as the Steve Martin movie Father of the Bride. Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell claims that his daughter and her husband paid for their own wedding, and that the $15,000 check from a major campaign donor was a gift—therefore exempt from campaign finance law. But at the very least, McDonnell seems to be an overly involved father of the bride: he signed the catering contract, made handwritten notes in the margins, and paid nearly $8,000 in deposits for the catering. Furthering suspicion, a refund from the event went directly to McDonnell and his wife, not his daughter. On Tuesday a state senator called for a review of Virginia’s disclosure laws, with the provision that gifts to family members be subject to review.