McDonnells Shared $5,000 Cognac, Favor Seeker Testifies

Businessman Jonnie Williams told a Virginia jury he lubricated his early relationship with the state’s governor-elect Robert McDonnell and his wife with a $5,000 bottle of Louis XIII cognac.

The high-priced spirit, shared in December 2009 as they prepared for McDonnell’s inauguration, presaged a steady stream of luxury gifts that federal prosecutors allege corrupted the the couple, leading them to illegally lend the prestige and power of the governor’s office to Williams and his push to promote a dietary supplement.