A second woman, Meredith Watson, came forward Friday to accuse Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexual assault. Watson is calling for Fairfax’s resignation and alleged that Fairfax raped her when they were both students at Duke University.
In a statement from her lawyer, Watson said the incident occurred in 2000 when they were friends with no romantic history. The rape is described as “premeditated and aggressive.”
Another accuser has just come forward to accuse Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax of raping her in college pic.twitter.com/8HSBT3rq4B
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) February 8, 2019
The new allegations comes after Dr. Vanessa Tyson, now a professor at Scripps College, released a detailed statement earlier this week saying that Fairfax had physically forced her to perform oral sex in 2004 at the Democratic National Convention.
Wednesday, NBC reported that Fairfax said “f**k that b***h” about Tyson in a profane comment at a private meeting Monday.
In an official statement, Fairfax strongly denied Tyson's allegations, insisting that the encounter was “consensual.”
"I would like to encourage the media, my supporters, and others to treat both the woman who made this allegation and my family with respect for how painful this situation can be for everyone involved," he wrote. "I wish her no harm or humiliation, nor do I seek to denigrate her or diminish her voice. But I cannot agree with a description of events that I know is not true."
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The sexual allegations against Fairfax come following Gov. Ralph Northam’s shocking medical school yearbook photo of someone in blackface and another person in a KKK hood surfacing. In a press conference Saturday, Northam admitted to wearing blackface for a dance competition.
Fairfax implied that Gov. Northam was behind the sexual assault allegations from Tyson coming out shortly after the yearbook photo.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring admitted Wednesday that he too had donned blackface for a costume.
Update: Fairfax has denied Watson's allegation in a statement, claiming it is part of a "coordinated smear campaign" against him and is "demonstrably false."
Justin Fairfax denies second allegation of sexual assault against him, calling it part of a “vicious and coordinated smear campaign”. Updating story: https://t.co/s6Fqk2pQHP pic.twitter.com/7lgzrEjtYn
— Fenit Nirappil (@FenitN) February 8, 2019
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