Justin Fairfax accuser told congressman about alleged assault over a year ago
By Emily Tillett
/ CBS News
As Virginia continues to grapple with a multiple scandals rocking the top politicians in the state's government, Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax is vehemently denying details of a sexual assault allegation. His accuser, Dr. Vanessa Tyson, alleges that Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex during the 2004 Democratic National Convention. She revealed her recollection of the encounter Wednesday, on the same day that the state's attorney general, Mark Herring, admitted to wearing blackface as a college student.
This was Tyson's first public statement about the incident, but according to a source close to Tyson's legal team, the professor had alerted Virginia Congressman Bobby Scott about the alleged assault over a year ago. An aide to Congressman Scott confirmed to CBS News that Tyson first approached him about the alleged encounter while the Washington Post was investigating her claims last year.
Tyson said in a statement released Wednesday that she also told close friends of hers in Virginia of the assault during Fairfax's campaign for lieutenant governor in 2017. She explained that she had later told a wider circle of confidants about the assault in the wake of the growing #MeToo movement, including a Washington Post reporter. The Post said it did not run a story at the time because it "could not corroborate Tyson's account or find similar complaints of sexual misconduct."
According to Scott's aide, Tyson did not share personal details of the encounter; Scott was only aware of "limited" information about the alleged assault and only learned the full scope of the allegation this week, the aide said.
Tyson, an associate professor of political science at Scripps College in Claremont, California, said in her statement that the news that Fairfax might succeed Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam due to a scandal over Northam's racist yearbook photo had "flooded me with painful memories, bringing back feelings of grief, shame, and anger."
"I cannot believe, given my obvious distress, that Mr. Fairfax thought this forced sexual act was consensual. To be very clear, I did not want to engage in oral sex with Mr. Fairfax and I never gave any form of consent," Tyson said.
Fairfax has repeatedly disputed Tyson's account, saying while "no one makes charges of this kind lightly … I cannot agree with a description of events that I know is not true … reading Dr. Tyson's account is painful. I have never done anything like what she suggests."
Fairfax's political future is still unclear as all three men consider their next steps amid the controversy. As calls continue for Northam to step down, Northam and Fairfax spoke Wednesday morning by telephone in a "very affable" conversation, according to an aide familiar with their chat.
Virginia's line of succession states that if Northam steps down, Fairfax would take over; then Herring. Next in line is Republican Kirk Cox, speaker of the Virginia statehouse, where the GOP has a one-seat majority.
Adam Verdugo, Ed O'Keefe and Grace Segers contributed to this report
First published on February 7, 2019
© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Emily Tillett
Emily Tillett is a politics reporter and video editor for CBS News Digital
Fairfax accuser told congressman about alleged assault over a year ago
Vanessa Tyson claims that the incident took place during the 2004 Democratic National Convention
updated 13M ago
Delta and Coca-Cola apologize for napkins some call "creepy"
"We rotate Coke products regularly … but missed the mark with this one," Delta said
updated 48M ago
Body found stuffed in suitcase identified as missing woman
Her body was found in a large suitcase roughly 20 feet off a busy roadway
1H ago
Jay-Z offers legal assistance for detained rapper
"In addition to being a successful recording artist, 21 deserves to be reunited with his children immediately," Jay-Z said via Roc Nation
2H ago
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduces 2020 policy test with Green New Deal
Progressive groups are expecting 2020 Democratic presidential candidates to embrace the ambitious plan to overhaul the nation's economy
1H ago
Fairfax accuser told congressman about alleged assault over a year ago
Vanessa Tyson claims that the incident took place during the 2004 Democratic National Convention
updated 13M ago
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduces 2020 policy test with Green New Deal
Progressive groups are expecting 2020 Democratic presidential candidates to embrace the ambitious plan to overhaul the nation's economy
1H ago
Feds open inquiry into billionaire's sex abuse plea deal
Jeffrey Epstein reached a deal in 2008 to secretly end a federal sex abuse case involving at least 40 teenage girls
2H ago
Trump lashes out at House Intelligence Committee chairman
Trump tweets about Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff after he announced he would be pursuing further investigations
4H ago
Boy, 10, takes knee during Pledge of Allegiance
Controversy follows Cub Scout Liam Holmes' move during Durham, N.C. City Council meeting
4H ago
Mexico presents plan to find thousands missing amid drug war
"Our territory has become a huge clandestine grave," government official says as he announces multi-million dollar investment
updated 55M ago
ISIS' territory nearly gone, but is U.S. leaving job "halfway" done?
One Kurdish commander said ISIS has already established an underground network of terror cells preparing to regroup and strike back
4H ago
Venezuela's Maduro tries to block humanitarian aid from U.S.
If U.S. manages to get desperately needed food and medicine into the country, it could boost the opposition, but it may not be easy
4H ago
Hunger pushing Maduro's troops to tipping point in Venezuela
The Venezuelan armed forces are the kingmakers in an epic power struggle
8H ago
CBS News dodges ISIS bombs in Syria
U.S. forces and allies have reduced ISIS territory, but the fighting continues
18H ago
Cast of "My Best Friend's Wedding" reunites
Forever and ever, they'll stay in each other's hearts
updated 0M ago
"Mobituaries": Mo Rocca on the enduring popularity of Audrey Hepburn
In her 1951 debut for American TV audiences, the actress re-enacted her wartime experience during the Nazi occupation of Holland
1H ago
Jay-Z offers legal assistance for detained rapper
"In addition to being a successful recording artist, 21 deserves to be reunited with his children immediately," Jay-Z said via Roc Nation
2H ago
John Prine, decades into his career, has never been more popular
Late career success brings new recognition to a man with a devoted following who's long been admired by his peers
2H ago
"The Wonder Years" child stars reunite with sweet photos
Even after all this time, it seems the crew is still getting by with a little help from their friends
13H ago
NASA and SpaceX reset Crew Dragon test flight for March 2
The Crew Dragon and Starliner spacecraft are the centerpieces of NASA's drive to resume launching U.S. astronauts aboard U.S. rockets from U.S. soil
17H ago
Earth could be headed for warmest period on record
The next five years could be even hotter than 2018, which was already near record territory
4H ago
Snap reports record revenues, but struggles to add users
Struggling social media company gets a badly needed boost in growth, while its losses narrowed
Feb 5
Dinosaur that used spiny back to defend itself found in Patagonia
The new species of dicraeosauridae, christened Bajadasaurus pronuspinax, was revealed in scientific journal Nature
Feb 5
Facebook messenger rolls out unsend feature
After Facebook came under fire for letting Mark Zuckerberg alter message history, it gave all users an "unsend" option
Feb 5
Ozzy Osbourne hospitalized after flu complications
"His doctors feel this is the best way to get him on a quicker road to recovery," tweeted his wife Sharon
14H ago
Pet owners report dog deaths from recalled food
While one company is facing rash of unhappy consumers, it's one of at least 10 that distributed potentially toxic food
18H ago
New moms hit especially hard by opioid crisis
Research shows new mothers with opioid use disorder are at a higher of overdose due to lack of resources, shame and stigma
2H ago
Dad travels to Canada for son's medicine that would cost $53K in U.S.
In his State of the Union address, President Trump said his next major priority is lowering the cost of health care and prescription drugs
Feb 6
Fact checking Trump's State of the Union
Here's a look at the president's claims on foreign and domestic policy
20H ago
Delta and Coca-Cola apologize for napkins some call "creepy"
"We rotate Coke products regularly … but missed the mark with this one," Delta said
updated 48M ago
BBT and SunTrust merge to create a Southern banking giant
The combined entity will become the No. 6 U.S. bank, with around $442 billion in assets and deposits
3H ago
Government workers still waiting for paychecks after end of shutdown
Many federal workers have either received no back pay yet or only a fraction, adding to their financial stress
4H ago
Twitter earnings climb as monthly user base falls
It said user numbers were lower partly because of its efforts to cut down on malicious accounts
4H ago
Slack IPO could launch public offering bonanza this year
The messaging app is one of several high-profile companies expected to go public, including Uber and Airbnb
5H ago
Body found stuffed in suitcase identified as missing woman
Her body was found in a large suitcase roughly 20 feet off a busy roadway
1H ago
Feds open inquiry into billionaire's sex abuse plea deal
Jeffrey Epstein reached a deal in 2008 to secretly end a federal sex abuse case involving at least 40 teenage girls
2H ago
Questions persist in county's third Taser-related death
Family members say they have seen "shocking" videos that contradict the police account of Chinedu Okobi's death
4H ago
Caught on video: Man shooting school bus driver in head
Driver's wounds aren't life-threatening but police say incident's recklessness was "mind-numbing
8H ago
Man accused of kidnapping Jayme Closs appears in court
Jake Patterson faced a judge in person for the first time
Feb 6 Original Article