Va. lieutenant governor accused of sex abuse may be impeached
WASHINGTON — Virginia Democratic lawmakers on Sunday began circulating a draft resolution to begin impeachment proceedings against Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax over the allegations of sexual assault that have been leveled against him by two women.
Fairfax, a Democrat, has fended off calls from the state Democratic Party and legislators to resign after the women came forward last week to accuse him of sexual assault. Fairfax says the encounters— one in 2000 and the other in 2004 — were consensual, and he has characterized the allegations as a smear campaign against him.
He has said repeatedly that he will not step down and wants the FBI or others to investigate the allegations.
Shortly after the second woman came forward Friday, Del. Patrick Hope, D-arlington, said he would introduce articles of impeachment if Fairfax did not resign by Monday. Hope emailed a draft of a resolution that would initiate impeachment proceedings to his Democratic colleagues for review Sunday afternoon.
A spokeswoman for Fairfax had no comment.
A vote on the resolution, which could come as early as Tuesday, would direct the House Committee for Courts of Justice to hold hearings on the allegations against Fairfax. Such an investigation would be the precursor to the committee’s recommendation for impeachment and a vote of the full House.
In his email to colleagues, Hope stressed that he is not yet calling for Fairfax's impeachment, but for an investigation into the allegations.
Some high-profile Democrats, including Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, stopped short of an outright call for resignation but said Fairfax should step down if the allegations are proved true.
Northam and Virginia Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring are embroiled in separate controversies after they have admitted to wearing blackface in the 1980s, but neither is threatened with impeachment.
In an interview on “CBS This Morning,” Northam said he was “not going anywhere” and instead would work as governor to “take action with policy to address” inequities in Virginia.
Asked about his two besieged colleagues, Northam said they “have all grown” over the past week, and the decisions on whether to resign would have to be made by the men themselves.