So far, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax, and Attorney General Mark Herring have been caught up in scandals involving racist pasts and accusations of sexual assault, all within a month. All three are Democrats.
Now there’s a fourth.
ABC News reports that Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott has allegedly known about the allegations of sexual assault against Democrat Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax for at least a year. He was reportedly told about the incident directly from Fairfax’s alleged victim, Dr. Vanessa Tyson, “who on Wednesday released a statement detailing the alleged 2004 assault, which took place at the Democratic National Convention in Boston.”
“Allegations of sexual assault need to be taken seriously,” Scott said in a statement. “I have known Professor Tyson for approximately a decade and she is a friend. She deserves the opportunity to have her story heard.”
BREAKING: Virginia Democratic Congressman Bobby Scott was made aware of allegations of sexual assault against now-Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax over a year ago by the alleged victim herself https://t.co/NAAcbClTxl
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) February 7, 2019
In December 2017, Tyson reportedly told Rep. Scott that Fairfax had a “MeToo allegation.”
Tyson released the following statement Wednesday:
On the night of Friday, February 1, 2019, I read multiple news accounts indicating that Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax would likely be elevated to Governor as an immediate result of a scandal involving Governor Ralph Northam. This news flooded me with painful memories, bringing back feelings of grief, shame, and anger that stemmed from an incident with Mr. Fairfax that occurred in July 2004 during the Democratic National Convention in Boston.
I met Mr. Fairfax on July 26, 2004, when he and I were working at the Convention. We struck up a conversation on the first day of the Convention and soon realized we had a mutual friend. We crossed paths occasionally during the first two days and our interactions were cordial, but not flirtatious. We commiserated about our long work hours, and on the afternoon of the third day of the Convention, July 28, 2004, Mr. Fairfax suggested that I get some fresh air by accompanying him on a quick errand to retrieve documents from his room in a nearby hotel. Given our interactions up to that time, I had no reason to feel threatened and agreed to walk with him to his hotel. I stood in the entryway of the room and after he located the documents, he walked over and kissed me. Although surprised by his advance, it was not unwelcome and I kissed him back. He then took my hand and pulled me towards the bed. I was fully clothed in a pantsuit and had no intention of taking my clothes off or engaging in sexual activity. In the back of my mind, I also knew I needed to return to Convention headquarters.
It was also reported by ABC News that Tyson hired the same law firm used by Christine Blasey Ford, who accused President Trump’s Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh, of sexual assault.