COMMONWEALTH of VIRGINIA
Office of the Attorney General 804-786-2071
For Release: February 3, 2009
Website: www.vaag.com (804)786-2071 Tucker.Martin@oag.state.va.us
Virginia AG Bob McDonnell to Step Down as Attorney General
Will Resign Officially on February 20th
Urges General Assembly to Appoint Chief Deputy Bill Mims as 45th Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Attorney General Bob McDonnell announced this morning that he will resign as Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia effective February 20th. The Attorney General is resigning as he begins his campaign for Governor in earnest. Since 1985 every Attorney General running for Governor, both Democratic and Republican, has stepped down from the position in order to ensure that taxpayers have a full time Attorney General running the Commonwealth’s law firm, and that the Office is free from politics during a campaign year.
Speaking about today’s announcement McDonnell noted, “Personally this was a very difficult decision to make, but it is the right one for our Commonwealth. A campaign for Governor demands a full time candidate. The Office of the Attorney General is the Commonwealth’s law firm and demands a full time Attorney General. Historically Democratic and Republican Attorneys General have stepped down from this post in order to run for Governor. It is the right, and proper thing to do.”
McDonnell continued, remarking “It has been the highest professional honor of my life to serve as Virginia’s Attorney General. I love both the great people and the challenging duties of the office. The lawyers and professional staff with whom I work are dedicated public servants who serve the Commonwealth selflessly. Working together, we kept all seven of the campaign promises I made when running for this office. Our bipartisan accomplishments have positively impacted the lives of our fellow Virginians. We enacted tough laws to combat sexual predators, made our Internet safety laws a national model, protected our environment, added important new safeguards for private property rights, protected Virginian’s Second Amendment rights, combated gang violence and the tragedy of OxyContin addiction and abuse, reformed Virginia’s mental health laws, strengthened our Homeland Security measures, and established a Senior Alert to help locate missing senior citizens with mental deficiencies. Eighty three of our legislative proposals were passed and signed into law by the Governor, most with overwhelming bipartisan support.”
McDonnell additionally stated, “This office has provided professional legal advice and support to our clients and the citizens. We have argued successfully in the Supreme Court of the United States. We have secured many millions of dollars in relief for Virginia’s consumers. And we have made a positive impact in the communities we serve. I’ve joined our staff for community improvement days in Harrisonburg and Staunton. We have partnered with Virginia’s Food Banks to raise millions of pounds of food. We have helped make Virginia safer and stronger through working together over the past three years.”
McDonnell also announced today that he is asking the General Assembly to appoint Chief Deputy Attorney General Bill Mims, a former state senator from Loudoun County, as the 45th Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The responsibility for choosing a new Attorney General due to a resignation rests with the General Assembly if a vacancy occurs during the legislative session. It rests with the Governor if the vacancy occurs when the General Assembly is not in session.
