Fairfax Maintains Assault Allegation Is False, Calls It ‘Surprising And Hurtful’

RICHMOND, VA - FEBRUARY 4: Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) talks with the press to address and deny a sex assault allegation from 2004 in the State Capitol February 04, 2019 in Richmond, VA. He denies . (Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)
RICHMOND, VA - FEBRUARY 4: Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) talks with the press to address and deny a sex assault allegation from 2004 in the State Capitol February 04, 2019 in Richmond, VA. He denies . (Phot... RICHMOND, VA - FEBRUARY 4: Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) talks with the press to address and deny a sex assault allegation from 2004 in the State Capitol February 04, 2019 in Richmond, VA. He denies . (Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Just as Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D) admitted to wearing blackface in college, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax dug his heels into his denials of an allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman 15 years ago.

In a statement issued Wednesday morning, Fairfax said that he takes the allegation seriously, but he maintained the encounter was consensual.

“Regarding the allegation that has been made against me — while this allegation has been both surprising and hurtful, I also recognize that no one makes charges of this kind likely, and I take it and this situation very seriously,” he said in the statement. “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.”

The statement comes as NBC News reported that Fairfax had a few choice words for the woman who accused him of forcing her into a sexual act. During a private meeting on Monday, he reportedly said, “Fuck that bitch,” referencing the accuser.

Read Fairfax’s full statement below:

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