Virginia lieutenant governor says he was treated like George Floyd or Emmett Till when he was told to resign over allegations of sexual assault

Virginia lieutenant governor says he was treated like George Floyd or Emmett Till when he was told to resign over allegations of sexual assault

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“We can not only talk theoretically about what usually happens, but we have a real example where I was falsely accused in 2019,” said Fairfax, who is Black. “Everyone here on stage has asked for my immediate resignation, including Terry McAuliffe. … He treated me like George Floyd. He treated me like Emmett Till – no appropriate process, immediately accepted my guilt. ‘

CNN contacted McAuliffe for comment on Fairfax’s statement.

The lieutenant governor’s remark was unsolicited and comes after a question about policing and the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged in Floyd’s death. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and his trial continues. Chauvin pleaded not guilty.
The murder of Emmett Till, who was just 14 years old when he was brutally murdered in 1955, is seen as an important moment in the fight for civil rights in the mid-20th century. The gruesome photos of Till’s body are a terrifying visual representation of violence and discrimination in the South. Till was falsely accused of flirting with a 21-year-old White woman, which led to the woman’s husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother beating Till before shooting him in the head. A white jury acquitted the men of the murder.

Fairfax said in the response that the “murder of George Floyd was horrific”, adding that it was “a reminder of a history in Virginia and in our country where African Americans, especially African American men, are presumably guilty,” inhumanely treated. no proper process. “

Fairfax is one of five Democrats who will be the next governor of Virginia, joining McAuliffe, the former state of Virginia, Jennifer Carroll Foy, Del Lee Carter and Senator Jennifer McClellan on stage.

Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam could not be re-elected because the Virginia Constitution prohibits governors from serving two consecutive terms.

The allegations against Fairfax were made in a turbulent time for Virginia politics and come shortly after Northam was accused of appearing in a black-faced photo in decades. While the Northam scandal unfolds, two women accuse Fairfax of sexual assault, the first being made public on a conservative website that discusses Virginia politics and the second in a Washington Post story.

Fairfax has repeatedly denied the allegations and is investigating the allegations, saying he is “confident” that it will remove his name.

“Because of the nature of these allegations, they should be investigated by professional law enforcement officers who have the tools and training to determine whether the allegations are true or not,” Fairfax said in a statement at the time.

All Democrats on Tuesday in a way called on Fairfax to resign over the allegations in 2019. McClellan was a leader in the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus when the group asked Fairfax to resign, but not personally a statement has not been issued. But it is the fact that McAuliffe called on Fairfax to resign so quickly that has bothered the lieutenant governor for a long time.

McClellan was the first candidate to respond to Fairfax on Tuesday, saying, “The murders of Emmett Till and George Floyd have been traumatic and unleashing for generations of black people. The comparison of lieutenant government was shocking, insignificant and insensitive.”

Fairfax spokeswoman Lauren Burke responded to criticism of his comments, saying: “No one who addresses these allegations has ever been investigated because his opponents are continuing with the reform of justice and the general treatment of black men.”

In an interview with CNN earlier this year, Fairfax said voters “rule completely against the politics of the past and the traditional tactics of personal destruction, which we have seen for too long.”

Fairfax’s remark on Tuesday comes at the end of an otherwise tame debate that focused mainly on fighting the coronavirus, combating gun violence and overhauling criminal law.

McAuliffe, four years removed from his time as governor, is trying to do something few other Virginiaians have done: serve two terms as governor.

The three other Democrats on stage, besides Fairfax – Carter, Foy and McClellan – also criticized McAuliffe in various ways, but most of the debate was more focused on what each candidate in office would do.

McClellan’s most direct attack on McAuliffe came when she said the former governor could “go further on guns” during his four years in office.

Foy spoke about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected families in Virginia, citing her family’s student loan debt and the cost of childcare, adding: ‘We need a governor who understands the challenges Virginia families face. stare. I do not have to have empathy because I understand. ‘

McAuliffe, like his campaign so far, has largely focused on his own plans.

When Foy attacked him with guns, the former governor said the bill passed was twofold, pointing out that McClellan, who was standing next to him, had helped pass it.

McAuliffe has repeatedly sought to position himself as the person with the most experience for the job, especially in the midst of a crisis like the coronavirus.

The former governor has promised to focus on the pandemic – “I want to thank Government Ralph Northam first,” he said in his first response to the debate – saying that the Commonwealth will soon have enough vaccine doses for everyone – including itself . .

‘I do not have it yet; I’m too young, ‘the 64-year-old former governor said with a smile. “I do not fit into the category yet, so I’m still waiting to get my vaccine. But as soon as we move it up, I’ll get it.”

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