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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.

Featured News

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.

Featured News

Tran’s Late Term Abortion Bill Proves too Extreme for Terry McAuliffe, Tim Kaine

Following a week of national outrage, two prominent pro-choice Democrats, former Governor Terry McAuliffe and US Senator Tim Kaine, are distancing themselves from Virginia’s controversial abortion bill submitted by Delegate Kathy Tran (D-Springfield), which drew widespread condemnation after Tran said on tape the bill would allow virtually unrestricted abortion in the third trimester, up until the moment of birth.

In a Sunday morning CNN interview, McAuliffe distanced himself from the legislation, responding “absolutely not” when host Jake Tapper asked the potential presidential candidate if he supported it.

“Where we come from, it’s ‘life of the mother’ in the last trimester,” said McAuliffe.

“I do not support that legislation, nor does Ralph,” he continued, falsely stating that Governor Northam did not support Tran’s “Repeal Act.”

Northam voiced public support for the abortion bill at a January 17th press conference, held with Tran and several pro-abortion groups backing the measure. At the event, Northam received praise from Tarina Keene, executive director of NARL Pro-Choice Virginia, who thanked the governor for making the legislation a priority of his administration.

“As you know, I do support the repeal bill,” said Northam, before later urging Virginians to elect a Democratic majority, to pass the bill next year.

Joining McAuliffe in denouncing Tran’s late term abortion bill was Tim Kaine, one of the two United States Senators representing the Commonwealth.

“I support the existing Virginia law, which has been in place since the mid-’70s, and it puts conditions upon a third-trimester abortion,” said Kaine, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “I support the existing law, not the Tran bill. I don’t think the existing law needs to be changed.”

As Virginia’s governor and later senator, Kaine had a pro-choice voting record.

As governor, McAuliffe was also favorably inclined towards abortion rights, which he noted in his CNN interview. During his 2013 campaign, McAuliffe received $1,689,519 from Planned Parenthood and affiliates, according to campaign finance reports compiled by VPAP.

McAuliffe and Kaine’s distancing reinforce a frequent criticism from Republican leaders, that the public outrage over the bill is genuinely against a measure which voters feel goes too far.

According polling conducted by Gallup from May 1-10, 2018, only 13% of Americans support legislation allowing unrestricted abortion until the moment of birth, as Tran’s bill proposed.

Gallup’s findings mirror results from a January 2019 Marist survey, which found only 15% of adults in support of Tran’s position, allowing virtually unrestricted abortion at any point during a pregnancy.

Already, public reaction to the bill has been swift, drawing condemnation even from many pro-choice voters who, like McAuliffe and Kaine, support legal abortion, but not late term abortion all the way through 40 weeks of pregnancy.

That outrage pushed one of the bill’s 22 Democratic co-sponsors, pro-choice Delegate Dawn Adams (D-Henrico), to withdraw her support.

After the controversy broke, Adams wrote in a letter to constituents that he hadn’t fully read the bill before signing on to it, saying she “did not exercise due diligence,” according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

“I made a mistake, and all I know to do is to admit it, tell the truth, and let the chips fall where they may,” read Adams’ letter.

In the Virginia House on Friday, Delegate Rob Bell (R-Albemarle) asked the 20 House Democratic co-sponsors where they stood on the legislation, noting they still have time to withdraw their support, on an issue which could prove important in the upcoming fall elections.

“It is now Friday,” said Bell. “I would encourage all of my friends to take this chance to not let this week end without making it crystal clear where you stand on this law that we now all understand what it says.”

“If you’re a co-patron and wish to get off, you still can. You can walk down the aisle, talk to Mr. Nardo, and he will take you off as a co-patron of the bill.”

As of Sunday morning, Virginia’s legislative information system showed that none of the co-patrons had withdrawn their sponsorship of the bill.