Nearly a week has passed since the first of two sexual-assault charges surfaced against Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, and national Democratic leaders are still grappling with how to respond amid the fallout.But that fallout is not limited to the Old Dominion, nor to the 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls who were quick to weigh in on the burgeoning scandal in Richmond. It has spread from coast to coast and is now roiling the politics here in Southern California as well.
Over the weekend, calls for Fairfax’s resignation continued to stream in, as did similar demands days earlier when a medical school yearbook surfaced with racist images on the page of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. Democrats were quick to urge Northam to step down only to be confronted with a dilemma when rape accusations from credible-sounding accusers were leveled at Fairfax – the Democrat poised to take over from Northam. Some Democrats adhered to standards they’d adopted in previous cases – that is to say, when Republicans were accused – while others have not. California Sen. Kamala Harris, an announced presidential aspirant, unequivocally urged the lieutenant governor to resign, as did her Senate colleague Kirsten Gillibrand, who is also considering a run for her party’s 2020 nomination. Gillibrand termed the allegations “sickening and horrendous.”
But a Democrat-led effort to impeach Fairfax over the allegations fizzled on Sunday night when members of the Virginia House of Delegates held a conference call in which several members suggested hitting the brakes on such an irreversible, career-ending move.
Late Monday, the fallout was still grabbing media attention after several staffers for Fairfax — both in his lieutenant governor’s office and his “We Rise Together” political action committee — resigned.
Get the Exclusive
04.20.2024