Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax is now hinting that Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney is behind the revelation of sexual assault allegations leveled at the state politician.
As the Washington Examiner reports, Fairfax, who is poised to become the next Virginia governor if current embattled Gov. Ralph Northam resigns, broadly suggested Monday on the steps of the state capitol that Stoney might have leaked the accusation to the media.
In response to a question as to Stoney’s possible involvement, Fairfax was quick to compliment the journalist for evident perspicacity.
Lieutenant Governor Elect Justin Fairfax speaks at Ralph Northam’s election night victory rally on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, Nov. 7, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein
“You’re a great reporter,” Fairfax said, without explaining exactly what he meant. He encouraged the rest of the press corps to continue looking for the facts. “You’re great reporters, and you’ll get to digging, and you’ll get to make some connections.’
Fairfax initially told the media scrum that he was no longer suspecting Gov. Ralph Northam of facilitating a “smear campaign” to expose how Fairfax is being accused of sexually assaulting a woman. The alleged assault took place at the 2004 Democratic Convention when Fairfax was an aide to then-presidential contender Sen. John Edwards. (RELATED: Virginia Lt. Gov. Breaks Silence: Stops Short Of Calling For Northam’s Resignation)
“I have no indication of that,” Fairfax told reporters when asked about Northam’s potential involvement in the assault rumors.
Northam has continued to try to explain his connection to a 1984 yearbook photo that depicts a man in blackface next to a hooded Klansman after it surfaced Friday. After initially confessing to being in the photo, Northam has suggested he experimented with blackface while imitating Michael Jackson. (RELATED: Congressional Black Caucus Northam ‘Has Lost The Authority To Lead’)
Justin Fairfax and Ralph Northam, Election Night, 2017. (Screen capture from YouTube)
But Fairfax appears to believe that Stoney, who may harbor gubernatorial ambitions of his own, may be involved in the sexual assault story. The Daily Caller has reached out to the mayor’s media liaison officer, Jim Nolan, for comment and is awaiting a response.
In response to a query from the Washington Post, Nolan said, “This insinuation is 100-percent not true. Period.”
Fairfax has admitted having sex with a woman at the Boston convention but says it was consensual. “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 informed the media scrum.