Democrats were already in a terrible news cycle.
Extreme comments on full-term abortions and yearbook photos featuring blackface and KKK robes were already rocking Virginia Dems.
Then more news just broke that threatens to throw the state into a Constitutional crisis.
Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax Faces Sexual Assault Claim and WaPo Swipe-Back
Fairfax (D) was hit with rumors early this week that he had sexually assaulted a fellow staffer in 2004.
The charges came from a conservative news site, but as the story picked up steam, Fairfax denied the claims.
But he didn’t deny the whole encounter.
Fairfax confirmed that he did engage in consensual sex with the accuser.
“We hit it off, she was very interested in me, and so eventually, at one point, we ended up going to my hotel room,” Fairfax told reporters Monday.1
Fairfax’s accuser says the encounter went much further.
Washington Examiner reports, “Fairfax and the woman met in Boston at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. When the two went back to Fairfax’s hotel room, she alleges they began consensually kissing before Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex. She told the Washington Post the two realized they had a mutual friend and one afternoon Fairfax asked her to walk with him to his hotel room to pick up some papers.”
However, Fairfax denied the allegations that any part of the interaction was forced.
To back up his defense, Fairfax’s spokesman stated the Washington Post looked into the story, but found too many holes to go to print.
“The Post carefully investigated the claim for several months. After being presented with the facts consistent with the Lt. Governor’s denial of the allegation, the absence of any evidence corroborating the allegation, and significant red flags and inconsistencies with the allegations, the Post made the considered decision not to publish the story.”1
But the Washington Post immediately rebutted Fairfax’s claim.
“The Post did not find ‘significant red flags and inconsistencies within the allegations,’ as the Fairfax statement incorrectly said.”
What do you think?
Should the sexual assault claim against Justin Fairfax be further investigated?
Or should news sites refuse to run stories without thorough documentation?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.