In the wake of the blackface scandal surrounding Gov. Ralph Northam (D-Va.), observers have looked to Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D-Va.), who would replace Northam if he were to resign. A California woman whose sexual assault allegations were previously dismissed by The Washington Post has now hired the legal team behind Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
The woman claimed Fairfax sexually assaulted her at the 2004 Democratic National Convention (DNC). The lieutenant governor has denied the allegation, claiming the sexual encounter was consensual.
The accuser has hired Katz, Marshall, and Banks, a Washington, D.C.-based firm, a source close to the legal team told National Public Radio (NPR). The firm assisted Blasey Ford with her sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh last year.
Blasey Ford’s accusations fell apart thanks to various inconsistencies, but she was widely regarded as the most serious of the accusers against Kavanaugh.
The conservative blog Big League Politics first published the accusation. The site also broke the story about Northam’s 1984 medical school yearbook page, which includes a photo with one man in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan hood.
When the accusations broke on Monday, Fairfax suggested the allegations might be part of a political attack against him.
“Does anybody think it’s any coincidence that on the eve of my potentially being elevated, that that’s when this uncorroborated smear comes out – does anybody believe that’s a coincidence?” he asked. “I don’t think anybody believes that’s a coincidence.”
Video: Here's the clip of Justin Fairfax being asked point blank if he thinks @RalphNortham and/or his allies are behind the allegation of sexual assault annnnnd Fairfax seems to think that's the case pic.twitter.com/XZZtkWrt7C
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 4, 2019
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