Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 7 February 2019

Political crisis engulfs Virginia’s top 3 elected officials

By ALAN SUDERMAN assault, said, “I have no po- called on Fairfax to resign, Trump, and has moved to sible for Northam to lead
Associated Press litical motive. I am a proud saying, “Her story is horrify- within striking distance of a the state. On Wednesday,
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Democrat.” ing, compelling and clear majority in both houses. though, Herring confessed
political crisis in Virginia spun “Mr. Fairfax has tried to as day — and we believe At the same time, the Dem- that he and two friends
out of control Wednesday
when the state’s attorney
general confessed to put-
ting on blackface in the
1980s and a woman went
public with detailed alle-
gations of sexual assault
against the lieutenant gov-
ernor.
With Gov. Ralph Northam’s
career already hanging
by a thread over a racist
photo in his 1984 medical
school yearbook, the day’s
developments threatened
to take down all three of
Virginia’s top elected of-
ficials, all of them Demo-
crats.
The twin blows began with
Attorney General Mark Her-
ring issuing a statement ac-
knowleding he wore brown
makeup and a wig in 1980 In this Jan. 12, 2018 file photo, Virginia Gov.-elect, Lt. Gov Ralph Northam, center, walks down the reviewing stand with Lt. Gov-
to look like a rapper dur- elect, Justin Fairfax, right, and Attorney General Mark Herring at the Capitol in Richmond, Va.
ing a party when he was a Associated Press
19-year-old student at the
University of Virginia. brand me as a liar to a na- her.” ocrats nationally have tak- dressed up to look like rap-
Herring — who had previ- tional audience, in service The string of scandals that en a hard line against mis- pers they listened to, includ-
ously called on Northam to his political ambitions, began when the yearbook conduct in their ranks be- ing Kurtis Blow, admitting:
to resign and was planning and has threatened litiga- picture came to light last cause women and minori- “It sounds ridiculous even
to run for governor himself tion,” she said. “Given his Friday could have a dom- ties are a vital part of their now writing it.” He said he
in 2021 — apologized for false assertions, I’m com- ino effect on Virginia state base and because they was “deeply, deeply sorry.”
his “callous” behavior and pelled to make clear what government: If Northam want to be able to criticize “That conduct clearly
said that the days ahead happened.” and Fairfax fall, Herring Trump’s behavior without shows that, as a young
“will make it clear whether Fairfax — who is in line to be- would be next in line to be- looking hypocritical. man, I had a callous and
I can or should continue to come governor if Northam come governor. After Her- Northam has come under inexcusable lack of aware-
serve.”The 57-year-old Her- resigns — has repeatedly ring comes House Speaker pressure from nearly the ness and insensitivity to the
ring came clean after ru- denied her allegations, say- Kirk Cox, a conservative Re- entire Democratic estab- pain my behavior could in-
mors about the existence ing that the encounter was publican. lishment to resign after the flict on others,” he said. But
of a blackface photo of consensual and that he is At the Capitol, lawmakers discovery of a photo on his he added: “This conduct is
him began circulating at the victim of a strategically were dumbstruck over the profile page in the Eastern in no way reflective of the
the Capitol, though he timed political smear. day’s fast-breaking devel- Virginia Medical School man I have become in the
made no mention of a pic- “At no time did she express opments, with Democratic yearbook of someone in nearly 40 years since.”
ture Wednesday. to me any discomfort or Sen. Barbara Favola saying, blackface standing next to Herring, who was elected
Then, within hours, Van- concern about our inter- “I have to take a breath a person in a Ku Klux Klan to his second four-year
essa Tyson, the California actions, neither during that and think about this. This is hood and robe. term in 2017, made a
woman whose sexual as- encounter, nor during the moving way too quickly.” The governor admitted name for himself nationally
sault allegations against Lt. months following it, when GOP House Majority Leader at first that he was in the by playing a central role in
Gov. Justin Fairfax surfaced she stayed in touch with Todd Gilbert said it would photo without saying which bringing gay marriage to
earlier this week, put out a me, nor the past 15 years,” be “reckless” to comment. costume he was wearing, Virginia.
detailed statement saying he said in a statement. “There’s just too much fly- then denied it a day later. When he first took office, he
Fairfax forced her to per- Tyson said she suffered ing around,” he said. But he acknowledged he announced he would no
form oral sex on him in a “deep humiliation and The chairman of the Virgin- once used shoe polish to longer defend the state’s
hotel room in 2004 during shame” and stayed quiet ia Legislative Black Caucus, blacken his face and look ban on same-sex marriage,
the Democratic National about the allegations as Del. Lamont Bagby, said, like Michael Jackson at a saying it was time for Virgin-
Convention in Boston. she pursued her career, but “We’ve got a lot to digest.” dance contest in Texas in ia “to be on the right side of
The Associated Press typi- by late 2017, as the #MeToo Democrats have expressed 1984, when he was in the history.”
cally does not identify those movement took shape and fear that the uproar over Army. A federal judge overturned
who say they were sexually after she saw a news article the governor could jeopar- Herring came down hard the ban, citing Herring’s
assaulted, but Tyson issued about Fairfax’s campaign, dize their chances of taking on Northam when the opposition, and Virginia be-
the statement in her name. she took her story to The control of the GOP-dom- yearbook photo surfaced, gan issuing marriage licens-
Tyson, a 42-year-old politi- Washington Post, which inated Virginia legislature condemning it as “indefen- es to same-sex couples in
cal scientist who is on a fel- decided months later not this year. The party made sible,” ‘’profoundly offen- 2014, nearly a full year be-
lowship at Stanford Univer- to publish a story. big gains in 2017, in part sive” and “shocking and fore the U.S. Supreme Court
sity and specializes in the The National Organization because of a backlash deeply disappointing.” He legalized gay marriage
political discourse of sexual for Women immediately against President Donald said it was no longer pos- nationwide.q