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U.S. NEWS Monday 25 February 2019
Virginia's Fairfax

compares himself

to lynching victims

By ALAN SUDERMAN Duke University.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Associated Press gen-
Embattled Virginia Lt. Gov. erally does not name peo-
Justin Fairfax compared ple who say they are vic-
himself to Jim Crow-era tims of sexual assault, but
lynching victims in a sur- both women have come
prise speech Sunday, as he forward voluntarily.
resists widespread calls to House Republicans an- Virginia Lt. Gov Justin Fairfax shakes the hand of State Sen.
resign prompted by allega- nounced plans Friday Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, right, as he exits the floor after the
Senate adjourned their 2019 session at the Capitol in Richmond,
tions of sexual assault. to hold a public hearing Va., Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019.
Fairfax strongly defended where Fairfax, Tyson and Associated Press
himself and lashed out at Watson can testify, a move
his critics from his rostrum that Fairfax and some bert said. "It's entirely ap- Fairfax is being treated un-
in the state Senate as the Democrats have panned propriate for him to talk fairly because of his race.
2019 legislative session was as a political ploy. about due process and we Gov. Ralph Northam and
coming to a close. Fairfax has indicated he would intend to offer him Attorney General Mark Her-
"I've heard much about won't participate in the every ounce of it, and he's ring, both Democrats and
anti-lynching on the floor hearing, leaving it an open welcome to take advan- both white, are embroiled
of this very Senate, where question whether Republi- tage of that anytime he in their own scandal after
people were not given any cans will try to compel him would like." acknowledging they wore
due process whatsoever, to testify. Fairfax has said But black lawmakers did blackface in the 1980s.
and we rue that," Fairfax the accusations should be not object to Fairfax's Northam has also resisted
said, referencing legisla- investigated by law en- speech. widespread calls to resign
tion the General Assembly forcement. "He said what he needed and instead said he intends
passed expressing "pro- Republican House Major- to say," said Sen. Mamie to devote his remaining
found regret" for lynchings ity Leader Del. Todd Gilbert Locke. years in office to address-
in Virginia between 1877 said Fairfax's comments Virginia Legislative Black ing the state's deep and
and 1950. about lynchings were high- Caucus Chairman Del. lingering racial divisions.
"And we talk about hun- ly inappropriate. Lamont Bagby said he's The trio of scandals has
dreds, at least 100 terror "That is the worst, most dis- heard similar rhetoric from rocked Virginia politics
lynchings that have hap- gusting type of rhetoric he his constituents, who have and exposed deep divides
pened in the Common- could have invoked," Gil- expressed concerns that among Democrats.q
wealth of Virginia under
those very same auspices.
And yet we stand here in a
rush to judgment with noth-
ing but accusations and no
facts and we decide that
we are willing to do the
same thing," Fairfax said.
When he finished his five-
minute impromptu speech,
stunned senators sat in
awkward silence.
Fairfax, who is black, has
been accused by two
women of sexual assault.
Both of the alleged victims
are African American.
Earlier this month, Vanessa
Tyson publicly accused
Fairfax of forcing her to
perform oral sex in his hotel
room during the Democrat-
ic National Convention in
Boston in 2004. Her lawyer
said last week that Tyson
plans to meet with prose-
cutors in Massachusetts to
detail her allegations.
Meredith Watson has also
publicly accused Fairfax of
sexual assault. She issued
a statement accusing him
of raping her 19 years ago
while they were students at