Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) — the official tipped to replace the state’s Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who is facing bipartisan calls to resign after a racist photo in his medical yearbook emerged, is denying recently resurfaced sexual assault allegations from 2004.
The alleged incident, which was reported by Big League Politics over the weekend, is said to have occurred during the 2004 Democrat National Convention. As WUSA9 reports, the Washington Post has not corroborated the claims, which the paper has been looking into for months.
In a statement released early Monday morning, a Fairfax spokesperson denied the allegation, affirming that the man who could be governor “has never assaulted anyone – ever – in any way, shape or form.”
“Lt. Governor Fairfax has an outstanding and well-earned reputation for treating people with dignity and respect,” the statement reads.
“This is part of the sad and dark politics that the Lt. Governor has dedicated himself to helping Virginia and the nation rise above,” it continued.
The statement then warned that Fairfax will take “appropriate legal action against those attempting to spread this defamatory and false allegation.”
Akin to other news outlets, Breitbart News will not report on the allegation itself as several details from the purported incident remain unverified.
Meanwhile, Northam faces a flurry of resignation calls from top Democrats and Republicans after the surfacing of a photo showing the embattled governor with another individual in blackface and a Ku Klux Klan attire in his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical yearbook.
On Friday evening, Northam took responsibility for being featured in the photo, but the following day, claimed he actually did not believe he was in it.
“Yesterday, I took responsibility for content that appeared on my page in the Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook that was clearly racist and offensive,” the embattled Virginia Democrat said in a Saturday press conference. “I am not and will not excuse the content of the photo. It was offensive, racist, and despicable.
“I stand by my statement of apology to the many Virginians who were hurt by seeing the content on a yearbook page that belongs to me,” he continued. “It is disgusting, it is offensive, it is racist, and it was my responsibility to recognize and prevent it from being published in the first place.”
The stunning reversal does not appear to have changed the minds of lawmakers demanding he step aside.
Northam reportedly huddled with staffers Sunday evening to discuss his possible resignation; however, details of the meeting are not known at this time.
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