The ‘Virginia Way’ Meant No Ethics Rules

New York Times: “The Old Dominion — a commonwealth, as people here are quick to point out, not a state — has for centuries fancied itself a haven of good government led by public-spirited citizens dating to Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. Strict ethics laws simply were not needed, the thinking went, because bribery — at least not in the most overt sense — did not happen within the chiseled walls of what is still called ‘Mr. Jefferson’s Capitol’ in Richmond.”

“This founding myth has been punctured in recent years amid lower-grade scandals, and many Virginians believe the notion has been shattered by a 43-page legal document that reads like the raw materials for the next great political novel.”