Bob McDonnell Says He Feels Vindicated After Corruption Conviction Overturned

Sept. 9, 2016, 1:15 PM EDT / Updated Sept. 9, 2016, 1:33 PM EDT

By Halimah Abdullah and Andrew Rafferty

'Vindicated' Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell Talks to Chuck Todd

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Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell told NBC News’ Chuck Todd that he feels vindicated by the Supreme Court ruling overturning his corruption conviction and he “never believed that anything that I did was wrong or illegal.”

“Liberals and conservatives agreeing that this was an improper application of the federal statutes - that they were overboard...I know in my heart, Chuck, I never believed that anything that I did was wrong or illegal,” McDonnell said in an exclusive interview airing on MSNBC’s "MTP Daily" on Friday.

Federal prosecutors said Thursday they wouldn’t attempt to retry McDonnell on public corruption charges. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court tossed out his bribery conviction.

Charges against McDonnell's wife, Maureen, will also be dismissed, the prosecution said Thursday.

In 2014, the former governor was convicted by a jury for accepting $175,000 in money and luxury goods from a businessman in his state who sought assistance in convincing two state universities to research a tobacco-based diet supplement.

“I complied with state reporting statutes, I set up meetings for donors, non-donors, thousands of times, so that I thought that I was trying to help this Virginia business do something that was good for the people,” McDonnell said.

Asked if he felt vindicated by the Supreme Court's decision, McDonnell said, "I do."

The businessman also wrote checks to cover the cost of catering McDonnell’s daughter's wedding and help pay down credit card and real estate debts. The gifts included a Rolex watch, $20,000 worth of designer clothes for Maureen McDonnell, the use of a country club, a vacation home, and a Ferrari sports car.

A lower court found McDonnell guilty of accepting the gifts and loans in exchange for performing "official acts" as governor.

However, earlier this year the Supreme Court said the prosecution was overly broad in its definition when it included setting up meetings and hosting events.

"Public officials arrange meetings for constituents, contact other officials on their behalf, and include them in events all the time," it said.

Halimah Abdullah

Halimah Abdullah is a digital editor and writer for NBC News and is responsible for reporting, writing, editing and web producing federal policy news for NBCNews.com. Prior to joining the site in April 2015, Abdullah worked at CNN.com, where she reported, edited and web produced stories on federal politics and policy. In that role, Abdullah was responsible for helping cover Congress, the White House, federal agencies, and national political races.

A veteran politics and policy reporter and editor, Abdullah has worked for Bloomberg Government, McClatchy Newspapers' Washington Bureau, the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Newsday, and the Dallas Morning News. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times and TODAY.com, among other publications. Her journalism and creative writing have won awards, been published in several anthologies, and earned her invitations to attend several writing colonies. Abdullah is also a writing professor who has taught at the University of Maryland and the University of the District of Columbia and John Jay College and Brooklyn College in New York.

Abdullah lives in the Washington D.C. metro area.

Andrew Rafferty

Andrew Rafferty has been a political reporter for NBCNews.com since 2013. Rafferty writes and reports on politics for the web, and shoots and produces video for all NBC platforms.

Prior to joining NBCNews.com, Rafferty was a campaign reporter covering the 2012 presidential election. Rafferty was on the road for both the Republican primaries and general election, providing content for both the web and television.

Rafferty began at NBC News through a fellowship at "Meet The Press."

He is from Buffalo, N.Y., and attended John Carroll University in Ohio.

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