McDonnell stands by Malek
Governor Bob McDonnell mounted a passionate defense on Friday for the man who will lead his effort to reform Virginia government.
Fred Malek, a donor to the McDonnell campaign, and Republican activist, has come under fire from Democrats because of his role tracking Jewish people during the Nixon administration. Democrats have called for McDonnell to remove Malek as the Chair of his Government Reform and Restructuring Commission.
The Governor refuses to bow to the Democratic pressure, accusing them of standing in the way of reform. He pointed to the six current members of the commission who are Democrats and have not stepped down, despite the problems party activists have Malek’s role.
You can see my story on the controversy and the first meeting of the commission on NBC12.com.
The Governor held a testy exchange with reporters following his opening remarks to the group. He rejected the notion that Malek could be a distraction to their efforts to reform Government.
Meanwhile Malek, who had not commented on the controversy, also spoke briefly with reporters and called his work in the Nixon Administration a mistake, “The biggest one I ever made in my life.” He also said that he never offered to step down from his role as Chair to elminate the distraction for the Governor.
