As The Washington Post has reported
All those Democrats, as well as at least five Democratic US Representatives, have called on the Lieutenant Governor to resign. And they are all wrong.
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A Maryland woman said Friday that she was sexually assaulted
by Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) in a “premeditated and aggressive”
attack in 2000, while both were undergraduate students at Duke University. She
is the second woman this week to accuse him of sexual assault. Fairfax
forcefully denied both allegations.
Democratic Party leaders quickly called for Fairfax to
resign, including the influential Virginia Legislative Black Caucus. Many who
had withheld judgment after the first allegation this week said they could no
longer stand by him, including most of Virginia’s Democratic congressional
delegation and national Democrats with presidential aspirations.
While Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Rep. Robert C. “Bobby”
Scott (D-Va.) said Fairfax should resign if the allegations were true, Sen. Tim
Kaine (D-Va.) offered no such equivocation. “The allegations against him detail
atrocious crimes, and he can no longer effectively serve the Commonwealth,”
Kaine said in a statement. “We cannot ever ignore or tolerate sexual
assault"...
The new accusation against Fairfax came from Meredith
Watson, who said Friday in a statement through her attorney that she shared her
account with several classmates and friends immediately after the alleged
assault occurred. Watson did not speak publicly Friday, and her lawyer did not
make her available for an interview.
“I deny this latest unsubstantiated allegation,” Fairfax
responded in a statement. “It is demonstrably false. I have never forced myself
on anyone ever.”
Asked what evidence Fairfax had that would demonstrate that
the charge was false, spokeswoman Lauren Burke said: “In due time, all the
facts will come out.”
If it's up to several Democrats- Terry McAuliffe, Cory Booker,
Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Kamala Harris- who have announced, or may announce, for the
Democratic nomination for President- the facts probably will not come out.
All those Democrats, as well as at least five Democratic US Representatives, have called on the Lieutenant Governor to resign. And they are all wrong.
If the charges against Fairfax are as they seem and the
pleas for him to resign are legitimate (reasonable), they are sufficientlyserious to warrant an investigation.
That investigation should have been conducted 18-19 years
when the alleged violent crimes took place. Unfortunately, the attack never was
reported- or so it seems, in the absence of any reporting to the contrary- and
the people of North Carolina (in Tyson's case, Massachusetts) thereby were denied the inquiry they deserved.
McAuliffe, the immediate ex-governor of Virginia, recognizes
the charges as "serious" and as "credible."Yet, when a defendant is charged with a crime, a grand jury indicts the
individual- thereby concluding the serious charge is credible- and he is not automatically punished or penalized, instead given an opportunity to go to trial or to negotiate a plea. A lieutenant governor should be given similar consideration.
Notwithstanding the statement of public officials that
Justin Fairfax must not wait for the civil equivalent of indictment but instead
resign immediately, there must be a prompt and thorough investigation. That
might benefit Fairfax, whose political career (and more) will otherwise
have been unjustly destroyed if the accusations are invalid. If they are
largely accurate, however, the two women who maintain they were sexually
assaulted deserve complete vindication.
The behavior alleged is dreadful and appalling. However, in
a democratic republic, we do not lightly overturn the will of the people. That
includes those in the state of Virginia, whom Fairfax serve, and the voters of Virginia, who elected him. All
deserve assurance that the truth has been sought and as much as possible, determined.
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