In the latest chapter of "you can't make this up: Virginia edition," we have learned that Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax has hired the same lawyers retained by then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh when he faced his own sexual assault allegations. Fairfax's team hired Wilkinson Walsh Eskovitz back in January 2018, when the charges against him were first filed. Rakesh Kilaru, a partner in the firm's D.C. office, confirmed it.
"I and my firm were retained by the Lieutenant Governor in January 2018 with respect to a possible story in a media publication and we are currently representing him as well,” he said.
Kavanaugh hired the same law firm during his confirmation hearing this fall after Christine Blasey Ford accused him of sexually assaulting her at a high school party over 30 years ago. He denied the charges and was eventually confirmed to the Supreme Court.
Fairfax's accuser, Dr. Vanessa Tyson, says the current Virginia lawmaker made unwanted advances on her at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. She went into disturbing detail about the incident in a new statement Wednesday afternoon. Fairfax rejected her claim and insisted their encounter was "consensual."
In another ironic twist, Tyson has hired the legal team who represented Dr. Ford, Katz, Marshall & Banks LLP. Debra Katz, you'll remember, was by Ford's side throughout her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee this September.
Déjà vu.
We also learned on Thursday that some Democrats knew about the allegations against Fairfax over a year ago. Tyson emailed Virginia Democratic Congressman Bobby Scott on October 20, 2017, letting him know that she was "not a fan" of Fairfax. A couple of months later, she told Scott in a text that there was a "MeToo allegation" against the candidate for lieutenant governor. A few weeks after that, Scott learned that it was Tyson herself who was the alleged victim. Aides told ABC News that they weren't sure what Scott did with the information.
"Allegations of sexual assault need to be taken seriously," Scott told ABC News. "I have known Professor Tyson for approximately a decade and she is a friend. She deserves the opportunity to have her story heard.”
I hardly have to remind you of the other scandal rocking Virginia's Democratic leadership this month.
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