Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax threatens legal action against conservative website over 'defamatory ...

[Jarqui]

Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch

and false' sexual assault allegation

Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax has threatened legal action against a conservative website that aired what Fairfax’s office called a “defamatory and false” sexual assault allegation against him.

Big League Politics, the website that first posted the racist photo from Gov. Ralph Northam’s medical school yearbook page, aired elements of the allegation Sunday night.

In a statement early Monday morning, Fairfax’s office said The Washington Post had already investigated the allegation and chose not to publish a story due to “significant red flags and inconsistencies.”

“Lt. Governor Fairfax has an outstanding and well-earned reputation for treating people with dignity and respect,” read the statement from his office, “He has never assaulted anyone – ever – in any way, shape or form.”

Read more: https://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/government-politics/lt-gov-justin-fairfax-threatens-legal-action-against-conservative-website/article_40dbcfef-5af6-5f91-9b4f-fa73050594d8.html

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WVTR, a CBS Virginia station also reported this monring
https://wtvr.com/2019/02/04/justin-fairfax-claim/

...
The claim leveled against Fairfax — who was not mentioned by name — came in the form of a Facebook post written by the accuser and shared, with her permission, by a woman in Richmond. CBS 6 News has not yet independently confirmed the accuser wanted her story shared with the public. Some details included in her Facebook post will be added to this story once that confirmation is obtained.

The Lt. Governor’s team indicated this was not the first time the woman has spoken about the alleged assault.

“The person reported to be making this false allegation first approached the Washington Post – one of the nation’s most prominent newspapers — more than a year ago, around the time of the Lieutenant Governor’s historic inauguration,” the statement continued. “The Post carefully investigated the claim for several months. After being presented with facts consistent with the Lt. Governor’s denial of the allegation, the absence of any evidence corroborating the allegation, and significant red flags and inconsistencies within the allegation, the Post made the considered decision not to publish the story.”
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Last night, when this story started to break, I researched the Big League Politics report. They're the same conservative site that first reported Northam's 1984 yearbook racist photo.

I do not know if it has even reached a "she said - he said" place because the woman has not officially responded. Her Facebook page is shutdown which may be as a result of this ... I'm not sure.

If she does formally make a claim, she's an academic and author who has worked on sexual misconduct - seems to be a reputable and a nice person. She's also been a long standing Democrat supporter which spoils some of the potential conspiracy theories of a right wing hit job. She's black which contradicts potential claims of racist motivation. The person she was communicating with on Facebook also seems reputable.

This may (key word - I'm not positive) have been the subject of Northam's urgent meeting last night. I saw one blog-like report that suggests it might have been.

It is now on the Drudge Report Twitter feed so it is probably just a matter of time before it mushrooms
because it is clearly in the Republicans interest for it to come out.

Republicans control both the House & Senate in Virginia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_General_Assembly
which probably have an impact if both the Gov & Lt Gov have to resign ... might have been the subject of the meeting last night ... I do not know for sure.

Sorry to potentially ruin your morning. We may be looking at more ugliness in Virginia. I suspect we will.