Welcome to the post-McDonnell era of gift-giving and -taking in Richmond. Gov. Terry McAuliffe, citing his own executive order barring gifts of more than $100, recently sent a letter, reproduced below, to Dan Snyder thanking him for nearly $500-worth of custom Redskins gear—and notifying him that he’d reimbursed the team $409.90.
As interesting as his civic ethics is the insight into the governor’s feelings about the slur-factor that has made the team’s name controversial. McAuliffe has defended Snyder’s right to call his business what he likes, saying he only looks at the economic benefits the team brings to Virginia. His letter, which is sprinkled liberally with the term—“Go Redskins!” he allows himself at one point—depicts the governor as more pro-slur than he lets on, even telling Snyder he’ll be wearing his new team togs “with honor and pride,” a phrase taken from Snyder’s campaign defending the name.
Luke Mullins is a senior writer at Washingtonian magazine focusing on the people and institutions that control the city’s levers of power. He has written about the Koch Brothers’ attempt to take over The Cato Institute, David Gregory’s ouster as moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, the collapse of Washington’s Metro system, and the conflict that split apart the founders of Politico.
Dear Dan Snyder: Terry McAuliffe Shows Bob McDonnell How to Take Gifts
Welcome to the post-McDonnell era of gift-giving and -taking in Richmond. Gov. Terry McAuliffe, citing his own executive order barring gifts of more than $100, recently sent a letter, reproduced below, to Dan Snyder thanking him for nearly $500-worth of custom Redskins gear—and notifying him that he’d reimbursed the team $409.90.
As interesting as his civic ethics is the insight into the governor’s feelings about the slur-factor that has made the team’s name controversial. McAuliffe has defended Snyder’s right to call his business what he likes, saying he only looks at the economic benefits the team brings to Virginia. His letter, which is sprinkled liberally with the term—“Go Redskins!” he allows himself at one point—depicts the governor as more pro-slur than he lets on, even telling Snyder he’ll be wearing his new team togs “with honor and pride,” a phrase taken from Snyder’s campaign defending the name.
Luke Mullins is a senior writer at Washingtonian magazine focusing on the people and institutions that control the city’s levers of power. He has written about the Koch Brothers’ attempt to take over The Cato Institute, David Gregory’s ouster as moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, the collapse of Washington’s Metro system, and the conflict that split apart the founders of Politico.
Editors' Picks
Where to Watch Your Team in the 2018 World Cup
The Terrifying Story of the Congressional Baseball Shooting
Inside Jeff Bezos’s DC Life
Political Insiders Plotted the Most Gerrymandered District in America—and Left a Paper Trail
Most Popular
Inside Jeff Bezos’s DC Life
The 100 Very Best Restaurants in Washington
Everything You Need to Know About Initiative 77 and the Tipped Minimum Wage
Where to Watch Your Team in the 2018 World Cup
The Wharf’s Opulent New Waterfront Restaurant Feels Like a Mediterranean Villa
June 2018: Best of Washington
Subscribe
Related Posts
What We Lost When We Lost Hank Dietle’s
WJLA’s TV Legends Are Vanishing. Does It Matter?
In Defense of 2016
There Are Still Six Confederate Memorials Around DC. How’s That Possible?
More from News
The Supreme Court Just Punted on Gerrymandering
3 Issues to Watch in DC’s Council Chair Race
The Congressional Baseball Game Has Become…Kind of a Scene?
Inside the DC Police Department’s Efforts To Grapple With Diversity