Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) said he does not believe you can accurately compare the sexual assault allegations still surfacing against Democratic Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax with those made against Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process in the fall.
Fairfax this week was initially accused of a sexual assault that allegedly occurred at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Friday, a second woman came forward accusing him of raping her in 2000.
The Daily Caller News Foundation Thursday “asked if the same standard should be applied to Fairfax, a Democrat, as it was applied to Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings.”
However, Jones and other Democrats who voted against Kavanaugh and cited the allegations against him in the process do not seem as outraged over the accusations against Fairfax.
“[T]he five Democratic senators asked, who all opposed Kavanaugh’s confirmation due to the allegations, all dodged the question or acted like they had not heard about it, despite the fact it has been major national news for nearly a week,” the publication reported.
Alabama’s junior senator directly said he could not draw a comparison between the respective allegations.
“I don’t know how you can apply to somebody that’s in office now with somebody who is trying to get a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court,” Jones said.
He would not say what should happen in Fairfax’s situation.
Jones added, “What I said though is consistent that accusers like that need to be heard, they need to be listened to, and those grievances need to be aired and something needs to be acted on in one way or another. That’s it.”
The allegations against Fairfax came shortly after the state’s governor, Democrat Ralph Northam, became embroiled in his blackface scandal. Fairfax would be first in line to succeed Northam if he resigns.
Subsequently, the Democrat attorney general of Virginia has also been found to have worn blackface in the past. He is in the line of succession immediately following Fairfax.
In an interview with USA Today, Jones admitted that there was a “crisis” in Virginia.
“It’s a tough situation, especially for a Democratic Party that prides itself in being one of inclusion,” Alabama’s junior senator lamented.
If the three top Democrats in Virginia resign, the governorship would go to the speaker of the House of Delegates – a Republican.
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Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
