Former Chef of Disgraced Gov. McDonnell Says Wife Was 'Not Balanced'
Bob McDonnell, his wife Maureen McDonnell were convicted on corruption charges.
— -- The executive chef of disgraced former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen McDonnell said the former first lady of Virginia would regularly yell and swear at her staff along with routinely flaunting their lavish lifestyle.
“She was not balanced,” Todd Schneider told ABC’s “20/20” in an exclusive interview in which he revealed sordid details about what life was like behind closed doors at the Virginia governor’s mansion during McDonnell’s term. “You had your Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ... every day you didn’t know what you were walking into.”
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Former Gov. Bob McDonnell and Maureen McDonnell were convicted last week on corruption charges. A Richmond jury found Bob McDonnell guilty on 11 of 14 corruption counts and his wife was found guilty on nine corruption counts and obstruction of justice.
The charges stemmed from granting favors to a wealthy Virginia businessman in exchange for more than $177,000 worth of lavish gifts, vacations, and loans. The pair was acquitted of bank fraud charges.
“The First Lady’s office was right next to my kitchen so we were very close,” Schneider said. “I could see everything that was happening and almost hear everything…we all talked in the kitchen.”
Prior to working for the McDonnells, Schneider was a chef to the stars, cooking for Steven Spielberg, Garth Brooks and the Clintons, among others. It was his willingness to please that made him a favorite with the McDonnells.
“I was very close with Maureen and the governor,” he said. “I was basically living with them. I was basically part of the family.”
When he first met the McDonnells, Schneider said they were “fun, outgoing, very charismatic,” but he said the stresses of being a governor’s wife made Maureen McDonnell increasingly unpredictable, overly demanding and frequently verbally abusive.
“She would just say anything that came out of her mouth, but she really talked down to you, and she would swear at you,” Schneider said.
The first screaming incident with Maureen, Schneider said, happened with the director of the governor’s mansion.
“They were upstairs with guests and Maureen got upset and called her a f****** bitch, and screamed and her, and called her an idiot, and the director came down crying,” he said.
Afterwards, Schneider said he pulled Maureen aside.
“And I just, ‘you cannot talk to people this way. You are the first lady of Virginia.’ ‘Well, she’s an idiot,’ and I go, ‘but you can’t do that.’”
According to Schneider, this was just one of her frequent blow-ups. Another example of her wrath, he said, was that Maureen wanted her bed sheets ironed and starched, and would berate the housemaids if the beds weren’t made correctly.
“If the sheets were about an inch on either side, she’d strip the bed and make them come back up and make it again,” he said.
But he said Maureen was usually cordial to him.
“She didn't berate me as much as she did the other people, I think just because we were closer,” Schneider said. “I think it depended who you were.”
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