7 Key Lines in The Washington Post OpEd on Justin Fairfax
We can’t think of another prominent man accused of sexual assault who has gone to such lengths — practically begging — for an investigation, which would put him at some risk. — The Washington Post Editorial Board, 8/1/22
A BLACK MAN AND A RUSH TO JUDGEMENT. In late 2017, attorney Justin Fairfax won a statewide election for Lt. Governor over State Sen. Jill Vogel. With that 52-47 victory, Fairfax became only the second African American to win statewide office in Virginia.
In the same time period of his Nov. 2017 victory, The Washington Post was contacted with a never-told-before allegation from 2004 against him. Though no evidence was presented to the Post against Fairfax, (and no corroboration in the form of e-mails/phone records or other time-stamped verification) The Washington Post spent three months contacting various associates of Fairfax (past and present) and found nothing.
The Post dropped the story in March 2018 and Fairfax’s accuser announced a book in July 2018. Fairfax also received a warning from a Richmond City Hall employee in Oct. 2018 that he would be the target of a #MeToo political hit, as mentioned in his 2019 defamation lawsuit against CBS.
Then came the Northam Ku Klux Klan/blackface photo scandal on the first day of Black History Month in Feb. 2019. Suddenly, Fairfax, an individual with no trouble in his past and no issues from two previous statewide campaigns in 2013 and 2017, was suddenly converted into a violent criminal by mainstream media and a New Jersey PR firm (Kessler PR) at the very moment it looked as if he might become Governor of Virginia. Many were suspicious of the timing. But no one filed charges with police that would have uncovered the truth and the press published serious allegations without investigation.
In April 2020, after Joe Biden was accused by Tara Reade of an alleged sexual assault from the 1990s, MeToo reporting suddenly shifted from “believe women” to “investigate women,” — but only in Biden’s case. Unfortunately the sudden change in due diligence for a prominent white male came too late for a prominent Black male — Justin Fairfax was presumed guilty instantly by the press and almost everyone in the Virginia Democratic Party.
The Washington Post Editorial Board apparently finally figured out something was wrong the year after the 2019 scandals. They wrote that it was “time for answers” regarding the Fairfax allegations on July 24, 2020. Incredibly, the reporting side of the Post has failed to fully investigate the allegations — in particular one made public on Feb. 8, 2019 by Meredith Watson, 43, of Baltimore — who completely vanished on April 3, 2019, the day Fairfax announced his attorney would formally contact prosecutors to investigate. Watson remains a person that the Post has never interviewed. The Intercept reported on July 25, 2022 that the FBI is now asking questions regarding “political motivations” which were obvious from day one.
Notably, the attorneys representing Fairfax’s accusers (Debra Katz and Nancy Smith) were careful to avoid any investigation by police or media. They instead kept declaring Virginia’s highest Black elected official guilty with no evidence or investigation and no process to prompt one. This recalls a time over 360 years — particularly in the South — when Black men were declared guilty on white words alone.
But this is not the 1800s.
Efforts in Fairfax’s case to kill due process and the presumption of innocence must be confronted. If this can happen to a Duke and Columbia Law graduate and former prosecutor, who already underwent two FBI background checks during a stellar career, one can only imagine what can happen to a person of lesser status.
With no official forum to clear his name or even discuss the facts and evidence, FBI involvement in this matter is welcomed and long overdue. Someone must ask questions and investigate.
It’s noteworthy that the attorneys of his accusers are attacking the FBI for asking questions. Why aren’t their clients welcoming law enforcement if they are alleging a crime? When the February 2019 scandals broke, the Post was the hardest on Virginia’s second Black Lt. Governor.
Now comes their second editorial on August 1, 2022 that clearly indicates they understand something is very wrong with this entire situation. Below are seven memorable lines.
The title: We might finally get the truth about allegations against Justin Fairfax. That title says it all. We surely haven’t arrived at the truth in this matter and it has been obvious for over three years.
“We can’t think of another prominent man accused of sexual assault who has gone to such lengths — practically begging — for an investigation, which would put him at some risk.” We can’t either.
“The allegations emerged when it appeared that Mr. Fairfax might soon become governor.” This alone — the timing — should have been a reason to prompt many questions and not assume that what was on a press release by an attorney was gospel.
“The Intercept reported that the FBI asked about whether money or other benefits were offered to either of the women around the time of the allegations and whether their accounts were inconsistent.” That these types of questions are being asked says a lot.
“The women’s allegations have not been disproved, but Mr. Fairfax has raised some questions and pointed out some inconsistencies.” It’s noteworthy that the Post Editorial Board believes that the accused most “disprove” allegations. They didn’t believe this when Joe Biden was a accused of sexual assault by Tara Reade — they investigated her.
“The women declined to file criminal complaints.” The strategy to pressure Fairfax to resign quickly, without investigation, after Ralph Northam was being pushed to resign from Feb. 1-3, 2019 was relentless.
“The best way to try to determine who is telling the truth is to conduct an investigation, which is why the FBI’s apparent interest is welcome.”
Please send comments, tips, releases to BlackVirginiaNews@gmail.com