Politics
Associated Press
FILE- In this Sept. 25, 2018, file photo, Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax gestures during remarks before a meeting of the Campaign to reduce evictions at a church meeting room in Richmond, Va. A California woman has accused Fairfax of sexually assaulting her 15 years ago, saying in a statement Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019, that she repressed the memory for years but came forward in part because of the possibility that Fairfax could succeed a scandal-mired governor. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
- On Friday, a second woman came forward alleging she was sexually assaulted by Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax
- Meredith Watson released a statement through her attorney, claiming Fairfax raped her in 2000 when they were both attending Duke University.
- "At this time, Ms. Watson is reluctantly coming forward out of a strong sense of civic duty and her belief that those seeking or serving in public office should be of the highest character," the statement said.
- Another woman, Dr. Vanessa Tyson, came forward earlier this week with allegations against Fairfax. She alleges he assaulted her in 2004.
- Fairfax has denied these allegations.
- Politicians, including several who are running for president, are now calling on Fairfax to resign.
Lawmakers - including several Democratic presidential hopefuls - along with others are calling on Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a Democrat, to resign, after a second woman came forward with allegations of sexual assault.
Meredith Watson released a statement through her attorney, claiming Fairfax raped her in 2000 when they were both attending Duke University. According to the statement, the two were friends but not in a romantic relationship.
"Ms. Watson shared her account of the rape with friends in a series of emails and Facebook messages that are now in our possession," her lawyer said. "Additionally, we have statements from former classmates corroborating that Ms. Watson immediately told friends that Mr. Fairfax had raped her."
Earlier this week, Dr. Vanessa Tyson, a professor at Scripps College in California and a fellow at Stanford University, came forward with allegations of sexual assault. The accusation was first made public by the conservative-leaning site Big League
Fairfax has vehemently denied these allegations calling them "demonstrably false" and a "smear campaign" and saying he will not resign.
"I demand a full investigation into these unsubstantiated and false allegations," Fairfax's spokesperson told INSIDER in a statement. "Such an investigation will confirm my account because I am telling the truth."
The accusations against Fairfax come at a time when Virginia leadership is in turmoil. Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has refused to resign amidst the resurfacing of a photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook, where he is allegedly either in blackface or dressed in a Ku Klux Klan-like robe. After initially saying he was in the photo, he denied being in that specific photo, but said he did wear blackface when dressing up as Michael Jackson for a dance contest. Virginia's attorney general also admitted this week to wearing blackface in the 1980.
The list of those calling for Fairfax's resignation is below, and we'll update as needed.