McDonnell asked top Va. lawmakers to call U.S. Attorney's Office, attest to his character I didn't see it as a big deal. He called up and asked if I would do it, and I did," Saslaw said. He's not a criminal. He just is not. Saslaw said that he has "served with some guys a lot shadier than Bob McDonnell" who did not face similar investigations and that he is concerned that the investigation has dragged on too long, leading him to wonder if it is a fishing expedition. "Either you think he's a criminal and you indict him, or you don't and you don't indict him," Saslaw said. That's my position. Howell's spokesman, Matthew Moran, also confirmed that the Republican speaker made the call on McDonnell's behalf. "The U.S. Attorney's Office declined to speak with him," Moran said. The former governor's request for the two top lawmakers to speak on his behalf may indicate that federal authorities are in the final phase of deciding how to proceed in their investigation into McDonnell and his wife. In December, the U.S. attorney informed lawyers for McDonnell that he intended to seek criminal charges against the then-governor and his wife, Maureen, in connection with their relationship with a wealthy Richmond-area dietary supplement company executive. A final decision on how to proceed in the matter is now expected by early February. Jonnie R. Williams Sr. provided more than $165,000 in lavish gifts and loans to the McDonnell family. During the same months, the governor and his wife took steps to promote the company. Williams's company, Star Scientific Inc., received no state incentives, appointments or contracts. It is unclear how persuasive federal authorities might have found Saslaw and Howell's testimony had they agreed to take it. A spokesman for McDonnell's legal defense team did not immediately response to a request for comment. Moran said Howell did not call to ask for leniency for the former governor or to offer evidence about the governor's interactions with Williams, but only to provide insight into McDonnell's character. Saslaw likewise said he had no evidence to provide in the case. "He didn't ask us to lie for him or anything like that," Saslaw said. "He just said, "Give them your observations on [my] character." " Howell and McDonnell are especially close; they have been friends at least since McDonnell was elected to the House of Delegates in 1991. Howell, McDonnell and two others started a Bible study for legislators years ago, meeting at 7 a.m. every Wednesday during session. At the end of a session last year, when House members annually give satirical awards to members deemed to be the most annoying or most talkative on the floor, McDonnell and Howell got a new award: "Best friends forever." "We appreciate his honesty and willingness to address this issue in a forthcoming manner," Howell said then in a written statement with other House Republican leaders. Howell also had high praise for McDonnell in an interview shortly before McDonnell left office a week ago. He's been a joy to work with, and I think he can look back on his four years and think that they went pretty well, politically speaking.