A letter from Delegate Rob Bell to his colleagues in the House of Delegates,
I wanted to give you an update on the allegations made against Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax.
As you may know, Dr. Vanessa Tyson and Ms. Meredith Watson have accused Fairfax of sexual assault. Last week, they again requested a legislative hearing where all parties could testify and present evidence about what happened. However, they have made clear they would only agree to testify if the hearing was truly bipartisan — meaning both parties agreed to participate. This means the Democrats can block the hearings — and they have.
On Monday, I repeated my previous offer to hold a bipartisan hearing with equal subcommittee membership of Republicans and Democrats. Again this was blocked by Fairfax and his allies in the House who refused to participate.
Ms. Watson’s attorney wrote:
“If Justin Fairfax wanted the public to know the truth, he would have welcomed the hearing in the Virginia legislature requested by Ms. Tyson & Ms. Watson. All parties will testify under oath and present witnesses. That is the last thing in the world Fairfax wants and he has fought it at every turn.”
Remarkably, Fairfax has gone so far as to say that the allegations may help him run for governor because they have raised his public profile for good.
We Republicans remain ready to give Ms. Watson and Dr. Tyson the bipartisan public hearing they have asked for. We are asking our Democratic colleagues to join us and give them their chance to be heard.
Sincerely,
Rob Bell
