Reports Says Former Classmate of Northam Tipped Off Press About Photo

As Virginia’s Democratic Governor Ralph Northam continues to find himself mired in controversy after an alleged old yearbook photo emerged of two men in a KKK uniform and blackface, we now might know how this photo came to light.

Reports indicate that a former classmate of Northam’s tipped off the press due to the Governor’s shocking remarks about allowing late-term and post-birth abortions – infanticide – during a radio interview last week. Northam’s abortion comments were in response to Virginia state lawmaker Kathy Tran, who said in a viral video that abortions under her legislation would be allowed up to 40 weeks.

The Washington Post is reporting that this classmate reportedly contacted conservative news site Big League Politics, which broke the story.

After Big League Politics’ story, the Virginia-Pilot and the Post confirmed that a former classmate was responsible. “A concerned citizen, not a political opponent, came to us and pointed this out. I was very offended (by the photo) because I don’t like racism,” reporter Patrick Howley told the Post.

The Post reports:

The tip came after Northam’s comments on Wednesday about late-term abortions, he said. Howley declined to give any further information about his source, citing a confidentiality agreement. But he said it took him just a few hours to confirm that the photo was authentic.

The source of the tip appears to have been a medical school classmate or classmates of Northam who acted as a direct result of the abortion controversy that erupted earlier in the week, according to two people at Big League Politics, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

“The revelations about Ralph Northam’s racist past were absolutely driven by his medical school classmate’s anger over his recent very public support for infanticide,” one of the two said.

As the pressure mounts for Northam to resign, former Independent Senator Joe Lieberman says he shouldn’t and that there has a been a “rush to judgment.”

“He ought to be judged in the context of his whole life,” Lieberman said. Lieberman, if you remember, often caucused with the Democrats during his time in the Senate. It’s odd that there are some Democrats who insist on supporting Northam.