$lime time for pol

Ex-gov on gift: A Rolex is expensive?

The former Virginia governor whose conviction for taking $177,000 from a wealthy businessman was overturned by the Supreme Court said he didn’t see a problem when he accepted a $6,000 Rolex watch, because he thought it was a gift from his own wife.

“My wife gave it to me for Christmas in 2012. With all my heart I believed it was from her. She told me it was from her,” Robert McDonnell said on CBS’ “60 Minutes” during an interview that aired Sunday. “I didn’t know what a Rolex cost, to be honest. I’m a Seiko and Timex guy.”

McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, took golf clubs, vacations, clothing and the watch from Jonnie Williams, a Richmond businessman who was trying to get state approval for a dietary supplement. Williams even provided them with the use of a Ferrari.

McDonnell said he wouldn’t accept the gifts if he were governor now, but at the time, he admitted he appreciated receiving them.

“Having a family vacation after working 15 hours a day, at a nice lake resort with my family, you know, I appreciated that,” he said.

He said his efforts to set up meetings between Williams and state officials were part of his duties as governor.

“My job was just to connect people with government. And I considered it a routine part of what I did — for job creation and just regular constituent service,” the Republican said.

The McDonnells were indicted on federal public corruption charges 10 days after he left office in January 2014. They were convicted that September.

The Supreme Court, in a unanimous June 2016 ruling, overturned the conviction, saying prosecutors failed to prove McDonnell took a direct “official action” in return for the gifts from.

But Chief Justice John Roberts still blasted, “There is no doubt that this case is distasteful.”