Showing posts with label Justin Fairfax Virginia Lt. Governor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Justin Fairfax Virginia Lt. Governor. Show all posts

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax kicks-off campaign for governor

Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax kicked-off his campaign for governor Saturday morning at the Old Court House in Fairfax, Va.

Fairfax had announced last Thursday that he is formally entering the governor's race. Virginians will elect a new governor in 2021.

Fairfax was elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2017 and is only the second African-American to be elected to statewide office in Virginia.

Before running for office, Fairfax served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria.

[SOURCE: WJLA]

Friday, February 08, 2019

Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax faces second sexual assault allegation

A second woman has come forward to say that she was raped by Democratic Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax.

Meredith Watson alleged that Fairfax's assault on her was "premeditated and aggressive" when they both attended Duke in 2000 and that the two were friends but not romantically involved, according to a statement from her legal counsel, the firm Smith Mullen.

"Ms. Watson shared her account of the rape with friends in a series of emails and Facebook messages that are now in our possession. Additionally, we have statements from former classmates corroborating that Ms. Watson immediately told friends that Mr. Fairfax had raped her," the statement reads.

Watson is the second woman to accuse Fairfax of sexual assault this week. Vanessa Tyson, a professor in California, released a lengthy statement early this week detailing her alleged encounter with Fairfax during their time at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.

"Ms. Watson was upset to learn that Mr. Fairfax raped at least one other woman after he attacked her. The details of Ms. Watson's attack are similar to those described by Dr. Vanessa Tyson." Fairfax has previously denied Tyson's allegation.

Watson is not seeking financial damages and has alerted Fairfax through her legal team that she would like him to resign, the statement adds.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Saturday, February 02, 2019

Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax statement on Governor Northam blackface photo

Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax is the man who would take over if Governor Northam of Virginia resigned because of a racist yearbook photo in which Northam is in either blackface or wearing a KKK robe. Fairfax released the following statement on the controversy:

Like so many Virginians, I am shocked and saddened by the images in the Governor’s yearbook that came to light yesterday.

They are an example of a painful scourge that continues to haunt us today and holds us back from the progress we need to make.

As we commemorate 400 years since the first enslaved Africans were brought to Virginia, it is painful to experience such a searing reminder of the modern legacy of our nation’s original sin. And, as someone whose great-great-great grandfather was enslaved in Virginia, this episode strikes particularly close to home.

The Governor needed to apologize, and I am glad that he did so. He also reached out to me personally to express his sincere regrets and to apologize.

I have worked closely with Ralph Northam over many years. He has been a friend to me and has treated my family and me with hospitality and respect.

While his career has been marked by service to children, soldiers, and constituents, I cannot condone the actions from his past that, at the very least, suggest a comfort with Virginia’s darker history of white supremacy, racial stereotyping, and intimidation.

At this critical and defining moment in the history of Virginia and this nation, we need leaders with the ability to unite and help us rise to the better angels of our nature.

I remain committed to serving and helping to heal the Commonwealth moving forward. Now more than ever, we must make decisions in the best interests of the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia.