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VA’s Lt. Governor Faces ‘Me Too’ Allegation
Virginia’s Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax might have as many problems as embattled Gov. Ralph Northam. Big League Politics, the same outlet that broke Northam’s yearbook photos, published a woman’s claim that Fairfax sexually assaulted her. The Washington Post had previously investigated the issue but decided not to publish.
Fairfax and the woman told different versions of what happened in the hotel room with no one else present. The Washington Post could not find anyone who could corroborate either version. The Post did not find “significant red flags and inconsistencies within the allegations,” as the Fairfax statement incorrectly said.
Fairfax (D), who was not married at the time, has denied her account through his attorneys and described the encounter as consensual.
The woman described a sexual encounter that began with consensual kissing and ended with a forced act that left her crying and shaken. She said Fairfax guided her to the bed, where they continued kissing, and then at one point she realized she could not move her neck. She said Fairfax used his strength to force her to perform oral sex.
The Washington Post, in phone calls to people who knew Fairfax from college, law school and through political circles, found no similar complaints of sexual misconduct against him. Without that, or the ability to corroborate the woman’s account — in part because she had not told anyone what happened — The Washington Post did not run a story.
The Lt. Governor’s office released a statement Monday. “Lt. Governor Fairfax has an outstanding and well-earned reputation for treating people with dignity and respect,” it said. “He has never assaulted anyone — ever — in any way, shape or form.”
It’s good that the Washington Post is addressing this now, and that they didn’t run the unproven “he said/she said” allegation when they investigated it a year ago. If only the press had shown similar professionalism with Judge Kavanaugh. We’ll see this week how eager other journalists are to dig deeper into this story.
Published in Politics
You bring up a very good point. And it’s one I haven’t been wanting to address in my own thinking. I like Trump even with all his foibles exactly because he can take on this crap and leave only a relative few crazy obsessive-compulsive anti-Trump types taking umbrage. But here we have a right to hold a person to his own party’s standards or do the right thing. Do we demand he not pay an unfair price, as all his colleagues have done to conservatives? Or do we play be their rules. Playing by their rules always loses, because they make the rules in their favor. And we justify their behavior and the dishonesty. Oh, well, paint him for whatever he is in your own mind, vote as you think right, argue what you think is true, and pray for him and for our country. But don’t encourage and accommodate injustice. I think it makes our world a worse place.
Is there another way to look at this?
How about consistency on all sides? The right should require evidence, look at other behavior to try to determine context, forgive the foolishness of youth, and so on. But Democrats must condemn him, and demand his resignation. And given that he’s a Democrat, that would seem difficult to overcome.
Yes, at least I guess we should require some evidence, or else we’re as bad as they are. It’s been a long time; if it were happening to a right-winger, I’d be saying so quite loudly. Let the left handle it and call the left on their own hypocrisy, I guess.
We must never condemn a man without evidence or else we become them.
And I’m allowed to enjoy that.
I just heard Justin Fairfax’s press conference on Hugh Hewitt. Wow. That guy is impressive. He’s either a sociopath, or he’s not guilty. It sounds like he and Northam are more about political expedience, which is just further proof libertarians are right about everything.
Also, this is the exact same thing as Kavanaugh. #vomit
Obama is a liar in service of statism, and he’s damn good at it. One has to triage their political views in this era. That is just one example.
This is an interesting subject. Dennis Prager has very excellent and informed opinions on this type of thing.
Well, except for that part where Kavanaugh said he never met Ford, while Fairfax admits to both intercourse with her and a relationship.
Male college students have had their career wrecked for less.
Thank God President trump’s administration rescinded the “dear colleague” letter.
No it’s not (and I know I’m on thin ice by disagreeing with the great @exjon ). Until I see much more evidence that the Post has learned anything, it is still blatant partisanship by the Post.