So, as you know, Gov. Ralph Northam convened what we were told was an “emergency meeting” with top staff last night during the Super Bowl.
What you didn’t know: a few hours earlier, an allegation from a woman who says she was sexually assaulted in 2004 by Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax was posted online.
Did Northam and his top staff know that ahead of their meeting? Was that the focus of the meeting?
We don’t know that.
We do know that overnight, Fairfax’s office was putting out a statement denying the allegation, which it said was investigated a year ago when the woman first made the claim to the Washington Post, which is saying today that it did look into the matter, and “could not find anyone who could corroborate either version” from the woman or from Fairfax.
The Post reported that, “in phone calls to people who knew Fairfax from college, law school and through political circles, found no similar complaints of sexual misconduct against him.”
“Without that, or the ability to corroborate the woman’s account — in part because she had not told anyone what happened — The Washington Post did not run a story.”
Which is to say, now we’re talking about this, and not about Northam, who, as of this writing, mid-afternoon Monday, is still governor.
I wrote on Saturday and again on Sunday that Northam was just trying to survive the day, make it to the next day.
His only hope was a Hail Mary, a halfcourt shot, a wing and a prayer.
Is it a coincidence that this story about Fairfax is coming out now?
Fairfax just told reporters in Richmond that he doesn’t think so, which, the gauntlet has been thrown down.
Holy shit, he actually said that.
This has just gotten unbelievably ugly.
Story by Chris Graham
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