The woman accusing Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexual assault has issued a full statement detailing the alleged incident in 2004.
In the stomach-turning statement released on Wednesday, Dr. Vanessa Tyson, a Democrat and professor of politics at Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., claims Tyson forced her to perform oral sex when they were both working the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Convention in Boston in 2004 in what she described as a consensual kiss “quickly turned into a sexual assault.”
She also claims that The Washington Post buried the story when she tried to make it public in March 2018 and that she felt obligated to issue the statement herself because Fairfax could potentially "be elevated" to Governor of Virginia – if and when current Gov. Ralph Northam finally resigns amid calls to step down.
Fairfax issued a statement on Monday denying the allegations, calling them a "smear," "offensive," and describing his sexual history with Tyson as consensual.
Tyson insists in her statement that she has "no political motive" and is a "proud Democrat" who only hopes to "refute Mr. Fairfax’s falsehood and asperations of my character, and to provide what I believe is important information for Virginians to have as they make critical decisions that involve Mr. Fairfax.”
“This is the only statement I and my legal team will be making,” she wrote in conclusion.
The news comes as Virginia’s top officials are embroiled in scandal.
Tyson hired the same law firm, Katz, Marshall & Banks, that represented Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford.
Read the full statement below.