Former Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax said the FBI is investigating the origins of allegations of …
DPVA Shuns Fairfax From Annual Gala As Scandal-Ridden Democrats Struggle In Election Year
Apart from refusing contributions from Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, neither Governor Ralph Northam, nor Attorney General Mark Herring, both of whom admitted to wearing blackface years ago, have sought to sponsor a table at the fundraising event, showing that scandals still engulf Virginia Democrats.
Virginia’s Democrat-Led Executive Branch Suffers Hit In Approval Ratings After Scandals
Two months after the beginning of his racial scandal, Governor Ralph Northam has an approval rating of just 40 percent.
House Democrats Refuse Bipartisan Hearing For Sexual Assault Survivors In Reconvened Session
During the Virginia General Assembly’s reconvened session on Wednesday, a Republican lawmaker in the House of Delegates made a final push to convince House Democrats to grant the two women accusing Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax (D) of sexual assault and rape a bipartisan legislative hearing. The move came just days after Dr. Vanessa Tyson and Meredith Wilson gave heart-wrenching accounts of their incidents with Fairfax in nationally-televised interviews.
Both women have repeatedly requested both sides of the aisle in the statehouse to simply listen to their stories. However, Democrats have blocked every single proposal.
House Republicans have worked since February towards a bipartisan plan of action to give the two accusers an opportunity for a hearing, which would also grant due process to Fairfax. House Speaker Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) explained that the legislature was set to “establish a bipartisan subcommittee of the House Courts Committee with an equal number of members from both parties.”
Chairman of the House Courts of Justice Committee Rob Bell (R-Albemarle) sent a letter to House Minority Leader Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax), which set specific parameters for the bipartisan hearing. In her letter back to Delegate Bell, Delegate Filler-Corn stated the Democratic Party is “concerned that enacting the plan that you [Delegate Bell] have proposed would establish an ill-defined precedent for the future, which could be abused,” deferring to pursue a “third party entity” to conduct the hearing.
In a statement, Speaker Cox said, “There should be no mistake about what has happened here: the alleged victims are seeking a bipartisan hearing; Republicans are seeking a bipartisan hearing; Democrats in the House of Delegates are refusing to allow that to happen.”
When the House met in Richmond on Wednesday, Delegate Bell offered to convene an emergency Courts of Justice Committee meeting to listen to any path forward proposed by Democrats.
“They want a chance to be heard,” Bell said of Tyson and Watson. “If there is anything you would say yes to, then let’s do it,” he added, offering for the committee to meet just minutes after a recess.
“Don’t let this day end. We can make this happen, just say yes,” he pleaded.
Regardless, House Democrats refused.
“This is good news for Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, but a bad day for sexual assault survivors who simply want their chance to be heard,” said Delegate Bell.
If Northam Seeks Truth For Fairfax And His Accusers, Republicans Are Ready
“They need to be heard, but we need to get to the truth,” Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said on the sexual assault scandal surrounding Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax. Well, House Speaker Kirk Cox said yesterday that Republicans “stand ready to proceed.”
Kirk Cox Slams House Democrats Refusing Bipartisan Hearing For Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax’s Sexual Assault Survivors
“There should be no mistake about what has happened here: the alleged victims are seeking a bipartisan hearing; Republicans are seeking a bipartisan hearing; Democrats in the House of Delegates are refusing to allow that to happen,” charged Speaker of the House of Delegates Kirk Cox.
Lt. Gov. Fairfax Tries To Counter Interviews From Accusers With Polygraph Tests
Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax’s polygraph tests were conducted just before interviews with his accusers, Dr. Vanessa Tyson and Meredith Wilson, are set to air on national television Monday and Tuesday.
Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax Resurfaces To Call Sexual Assault And Rape Allegations Levied Against Him ‘Lies’
At an NAACP event Hampton Roads, purportedly dedicated to women’s history, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax continued to smear the two women who have levied accusations of sexual assault and rape against him.
Did ‘#MeToo’ Forget About Justin Fairfax?
It is quite interesting that while the calls for Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax to resign are continuing, the protests that have blanketed Gov. Ralph Northam’s reputation for racist photos have been absent for Fairfax’s sexual assault and rape allegations.
After Democrats Obstruct, House GOP Announces Fairfax Hearings Will Move Forward
One day after House Democrats shut down investigations into accusations of sexual assault leveled against Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, a top House Republican announced that the GOP will give Fairfax’s accusers the opportunity to testify before the General Assembly, per their request.
Delegate Rob Bell (R-Albemarle), who chairs the Courts of Justice committee which holds jurisdiction, announced on the floor that the GOP would not let Democrats’ refusal to participate prevent the hearings from moving forward.
“We tried to work diligently with our colleagues across the aisle to create a bipartisan way to investigate,” said Delegate Bell. “We proposed a special subcommittee that would have been five-five. Five Republicans, five Democrats, to hear testimony, issue subpoenas, and conduct the investigation. That was declined.”
For the past week, House GOP leaders had tried to obtain the cooperation of Democratic lawmakers, whose interest in pursuing hearings waned after party leadership blocked an effort by Delegate Patrick Hope (D-Arlington) to introduce articles of impeachment against Fairfax. Hope said that would create a process for moving forward.
House Republicans had proposed a special subcommittee of the Courts of Justice Committee, to consist of five Democrats and Five Republicans, charged with hearing testimony, issuing subpoenas, and investigating the charges against Lieutenant Governor Fairfax.
Under House rules, actions by the committee require a majority, meaning that the committee would be unable to act along party lines.
House Speaker Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights), who proposed the concept, said that adherence to bipartisanship was necessary to handle what he called a sensitive matter.
After repeated attempts to work with their Democratic colleagues, Republicans said, Democratic leadership rebuffed all offers, saying they wished for the matter to be handled by out-of-state investigators.
Cox responded that Democrats were offering “excuses” and attempting to “run out the clock” with only days left in the scheduled legislative session. He added that the House had a “duty” to investigate.
That duty was again referenced by Bell in his announcement, in which he cited the rules of the House of Delegates.
“The rules of the House are clear,” Bell added. “Rule 18 says, ‘It shall be the duty of each committee to inquire into the condition and administration of the laws relating to the subjects which it has in its charge, to investigate the conduct, and look to the responsibility of all public officers and agents concerned and to suggest such measures as will correct abuses to protect the public interests and promote the public welfare.'”
So far, House Democrats have resisted all efforts to hold hearings and hear testimony from Fairfax’s accusers.
Yesterday, in a rotunda press conference, House Minority Leader Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Springfield) avoided giving direct answers, even as Cox pressed for a “yes or no” response.
Filler-Corn said the General Assembly’s involvement might impede out of state criminal investigations, declining to commit to any hearings or investigation in Virginia when asked by reporters.
“Our concern really is about impeding a criminal investigation,” she said. “That is one of our concerns and we have laid that out and expressed that, communicated to them several times about that.”
The reporter asking the question said she failed to directly answer it.
“But you’re not directly answering this question that we’ve asked, I think, three times now,” said the reporter.
Cox was unequivocal in saying the General Assembly must act.
“I think it’s very essential that we have a formalized process that’s a bipartisan process, by which we really look at what happened, obviously, with Lieutenant Governor Fairfax,” said the speaker. “Give an opportunity to the two women to tell their story.”
Cox also noted that the hearings were requested by both of Fairfax’s accusers.
“The victims are asking for this,” added Cox. They’ve consistently asked for this. I think you’ve seen editorials in newspapers. I saw a letter today from Vanessa Tyson that is basically, and I think properly, calling us to take some action.”
“I think it’s very appropriate to get going on this, and that’s why I’ve been really pushing the Democrats to give me an answer. And they seem to be running out the clock.”
The legislative session is scheduled to conclude tomorrow, on Saturday. Bell said the hearings would occur at a future date, to be determined.
With Bell’s announcement, Fairfax’s accusers will get their public hearing and opportunity to testify, with or without Democrats participating in the process.
Fairfax, a former federal prosecutor, has denied the allegations, asking instead for an FBI investigation. The agency lacks jurisdiction to investigate.