Case 3:14-cr-00012-JRS Document 585-3 Filed 12/23/14 Page 42 of 67 PageID# 16865

The Honorable James R. Spencer

United States District Judge
Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
701 E. Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219

Dear Judge Spencer:

I am one of the daughters of Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell. I am 26 years old and third of the
five McDonnell children. I understand you have the responsibility to make a decision that will affect my
father, our family, and a number of others. Before you do, I'd like to offer some insight into my dad's life
and true character. I appreciate your taking the time to read this letter.
Anyone who meets my dad can tell immediately the type of person he is. His profound qualities of
honesty and integrity shine through him He was raised a devout Catholic who believes in doing what is
right and just. His love and care for others is immeasurable. He is the most hard working and moral man I
know, and he continues to inspire me every day. I am blessed to have been raised by a man of great
strength, love, faith, and integrity - my dad and role model, Bob McDonnell.
As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
My dad has devoted his life to public service. He served 21 years in the U.S. Army, both active and
reserves, and retired as a Lt. Colonel in 1997. After graduating from Regent Law School in 1989, my dad
became a prosecutor in the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney's office for several years. He later
was elected to the House of Delegates where he served 14 years before he was elected Attorney General
in 2005, and Governor in 2009. He is a true servant leader.
My dad learned firsthand the value of hard work and education. He was raised as the oldest of five
children in a middle -class family in Fairfax, Va. As the son of a retired U.S. Air Force Officer, my dad
was inspired to pursue a similar path. He attended Notre Dame on an Army ROTC scholarship. After
graduating with a degree in management in 1976, he served several years in the Army on active duty.
While in service, my dad earned his MBA from Boston University. He later attended law school at
Regent University, where he completed both his master's degree and law degree, all while balancing three
jobs and raising five children. My dad has one of the best records of any Governor for his notable
accomplishments in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Everything he has accomplished in life is because of
his hard work, determination, and perseverance, even when his goals seemed unattainable.
My dad instilled these same values in his children and set high expectations for us to reach our full
potential. My two sisters and I all have earned master's degrees, and our two younger brothers are
currently in the process of completing theirs. Without the discipline and encouragement from our dad
throughout our upbringing, the five of us would not have developed this strong ambition to succeed. My
dad is a true role model for his children and so many others.
The single, most important thing to my father is family. As demanding as his schedule always has been,
he took advantage of every available opportunity to spend time with his children and family. He made it a
priority to reserve time on his calendar to attend the special events in his children's lives - from sporting
events and birthday parties to school performances and academic graduations. We could always count on
my dad to be there. Every year, my dad coordinates one family vacation. We normally don't plan
activities during these vacations; instead, we focus on spending quality time together as a family. Even
now, as five adult children and two of whom are married, we continue this tradition and look forward to it

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every year. My dad's unconditional love for his children is hard to come across. I cherish my relationship
with my father more than I can begin to explain.
Selfless is a perfect word to describe my dad. He has a genuine passion to help and serve others and he
puts everyone else's needs and struggles before his own. Anytime I call my dad with an issue or concern,
he stops everything he is doing to talk me through the situation and offer advice, encouragement, and
support. My dad says one of the most important and fulfilling things in life is to give to others. One of his
favorite Bible verses is Luke 6:38: "Give, and it will be given unto you." He gives regularly to our
Church and he has taught his children to do the same. He encourages us to get involved in the community
and give our time and talents to help those in need. My dad started a family tradition many years ago:
every Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, we serve a meal at the food bank, a homeless shelter, or the
Healing Place in Richmond. This is such a meaningful and humbling experience that causes us to sit back,
reflect, and appreciate the many blessings in life. These are the type of activities that bring my dad joy.
His selfless acts of kindness and sincere dedication to help others have impacted the lives of thousands of
people. During his time as Governor, after a series of tornadoes blew through Washington County, Va.,
my dad immediately left Richmond to assess the damage and personally visit and console the victims. He
issued a state of emergency and requested federal and individual loan assistance for those affected in
Washington and Halifax counties. One of my dad's most recent efforts was the "Adopt a Child"
campaign, where he helped more than 1,000 children in Richmond find loving families.
My dad is a humble man. He truly could not care less about money and material possessions. He has worn
the same couple of pairs of shoes every day for years. Even though his feet have worn through and the
soles have detached, he will not buy or accept a new pair because he claims his old ones "work just fine."
My dad never asks for anything, nor does he want anything from anyone. The only thing he wants is to
spend time with his family and loved ones - that is when he is happiest.
Everything my dad testified to during those five days on the witness stand was the absolute truth. The
pressures and demands of serving in public office can be very taxing on families. My dad worked
tirelessly to achieve lasting results for Virginia and her citizens. For many years, my dad was away from
home fulfilling his government responsibilities while my mom stayed home taking care of the children.
When he wasn't traveling, my dad worked 12 -15 hour days - or more - and continued working late into
the night at home with only a few hours of sleep in between. My dad's demanding schedule and lifestyle,
especially as Governor, didn't allow him much time with his family. Our family rarely had the
opportunity to enjoy dinner and conversation together at the end of the day. Even when we - his children
- wanted to make plans with our dad, we had to coordinate logistics through his scheduler to see if it was
possible. As their daughter who lived with them through this experience, I witnessed how the lack of time
and availability took a major toll on my parents' relationship. Their communication gradually declined.
With a family of seven who all live separate lives, a busy father who was running the state, and a mother
fulfilling her duties as First Lady, its obvious that there were breakdowns in our communications. As a
result, my dad often was not informed on our individual activities and decisions. For example, when my
mom returned from a trip to New York, she showed me a new purse, dress, and pair of shoes. She
specifically told me not to tell my dad that Jonnie purchased these items for her because she knew this is
not something he would approve. I followed her request and did not mention these gifts to my dad. My
dad also did not know the details of my trip to Florida, nor was he aware that my sister and I used
Jonnie's airline points for our trip to Savannah. If my dad had been informed about these gifts, he would
have been adamant that we did not accept. My family and I never should have accepted gifts from Jonnie.
Please do not hold my dad accountable for my family's actions when he was not aware of everything that
was going on.

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I honestly thought of Jonnie Williams as a personal friend to my parents and to each person in my family.
He never seemed to me like the type of person who was trying to benefit from his relationship with my
parents or family. One interaction I had with Jonnie really drove this point home. While in Florida, Jonnie
showed me around the town of Sarasota while he told me about his challenges and many successes in life
as a businessman. He spoke openly about his wealth and material possessions as though money was
insignificant to him. He showed me his yacht, his first house at age 25 in a nice part of town, and casually
listed his collection of personal vehicles. He made it seem like he was living the American Dream as a
successful business owner with everything he could ever want or need. Toward the end of this
conversation, I vividly recall him turning to me and saying, "You see Rachel, I'm a businessman. I don't
need your dad. I just enjoy spending time with your mom." Jonnie casually downplayed my dad's status
as Governor in a friendly, joking manner. He went on to explain that he had a closer friendship and spent
more time with my mom than my dad. This made sense to me because, as Governor, it was hard for my
dad to spend much time with anyone. Also, given Jonnie's and my mom's shared passion for nutritional
healthcare, it was apparent why they got along so well. At this point, it seemed clear that Jonnie wasn't
looking to gain anything out of his relationship with my dad because it didn't seem possible for Jonnie to
be more successful than he already was. I don't know what Jonnie's real intentions were, but I do know
that my father simply is incapable of "conspiring" to do anything for his own personal benefit, especially
with his office he held in such high regard. That is not the type of person he is or ever will be.
I have become the person I am today because of my dad and I still have so much more to learn from him.
His knowledge, ambition, determination, integrity, faith, friendliness, positivity, love and care for others these qualities are inspiring and infectious. He provided a strong religious foundation to guide me down
the path of morality and to do what is right and just. My dad makes me want to be a better person and I
aspire to follow in his footsteps.
No one is perfect. We all make mistakes, but my dad is a firm believer in forgiveness and second chances.
While Governor, he restored voting rights for more than 8,800 people because he believed they deserved
a second chance. My dad and our family understand we made mistakes, but I can say with 100 percent
confidence that he would never intentionally do anything to abuse his office or position as Governor.
Although the past two years have been filled with heartache and humiliation, this experience has taught
our family valuable life lessons that will continue to help us grow as individuals.
I ask you to please, open your heart, and take this letter into consideration as you make your decision. My
dad has so much more to offer the world, and so much more to teach his five children. Please give him a
second chance to continue serving others and sharing his knowledge, time, and talents. I, along with
thousands of others, am praying for you to have the strength and guidance to make the right decision for
my father and our family. I have faith that you will.
Sincere Regards,

Rachel McDonnell