Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli isn’t new to controversies (see here and here). Now, there appears to be one more to pin on him. On Saturday, the Virginian-Pilot reported that Cuccinelli distributed to his staffers a pin of the state seal with a slight difference in its design.
The Roman goddess Virtus, who is usually depicted with an uncovered breast, appears with an armored breastplate. The news has made the national rounds, including the Huffington Post (where a photo of the pin is featured).
"When you ask to be ridiculed, it usually happens. And it will happen here, nationally," said UVA politics professor Larry Sabato. "This is classical art, for goodness’ sake."
Brian Gottstein, a spokesman for Cuccinelli, told the Virginian-Pilot that the pin was paid for by the AG’s political action committee, and not with tax payers’ money. According to the Washington Post, Cuccinelli later responded that he felt the pre-1930s design was "historic" and "unique."
"My joke about Virtue being a little more virtuous in her more modest clothing was intended to get laughs from my employees—which it did!" Cuccinelli reportedly responded. "Just because we’ve always done something a certain way doesn’t mean we always have to continue doing it that way. Now seriously, can we get on with real news?"
