Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax offered $2,500 to the Democratic Party of Virginia to reserve a table at the Blue Commonwealth Gala in June, but they said they didn't want it.
“We were not comfortable accepting the Lieutenant Governor’s PAC’s contribution and we let his team know that when they reached out,” state party spokesman Jake Rubenstein explained.
Fairfax's office was offended by the slight, especially since he has supposedly proved his "innocence."
“He is innocent and has passed two polygraphs and repeatedly called for an investigation," Fairfax spokeswoman Lauren Burke asserted.
“This is beyond comprehension for a state party claiming dedication ‘to the preservation of all the rights enumerated in Article One of the Constitution of Virginia,’” she added. “That Article, of course, provides for due process of law. If the Lt. Governor can’t receive due process from his own party how can we assume the average Virginian can?”
Two women have accused Fairfax of sexual assault. His first accuser, Vanessa Tyson, claims that Fairfax forcibly kissed her at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. The second accuser, Meredith Watson, said Fairfax took advantage of her when they were students at Duke University. Both women went into graphic detail about the alleged assaults in interviews with "Good Morning America's" Gayle King.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring, meanwhile, are battling blackface scandals.
The Democratic Party of Virginia explained that Fairfax is still welcome at this summer's gala, just at a different table.