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The Richmond Times-Dispatch on Wednesday skewered Virginia’s governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, who have all became embroiled in scandals during the past few days.
Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and Attorney General Mark Herring (D) have admitted to darkening their skin or dressing in blackface, while Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) has been accused of sexual assault.
“Virginia’s three top elected officials are not putting the interests of their constituents ahead of their own political interests,” editorial board wrote. “Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring have both admitted to acting, as young men, in ways that were at best racially insensitive, at worst disturbingly racist.”
The newspaper said it would reserve judgment on whether the allegation against Fairfax is true, but said “his handling of the circumstances so far does not inspire confidence.”
The editorial emphasized the overall effect on the state.
“The accumulated impact of these rapidly converging and evolving stories has been to leave most Virginians stunned and embarrassed,” they wrote. “If these men were truly public servants, would they not seriously consider leaving office and allowing others to take their place? They are not indispensable.”
The paper encouraged readers to keep expressing their opinions on the recent events, adding that it is “prepared to publish letters and let the commonwealth’s elected officials know what you think of them.”
On Friday, a picture surfaced of Northam’s page from his 1984 medical school yearbook, including an image of a man in blackface and another person dressed as a Ku Klux Klan member. Northam initially apologized for the photo but later denied he was one of the people in the picture. He also said he darkened his skin during the 1980s to impersonate pop star Michael Jackson.
Shortly after that scandal broke, a sexual assault allegation against Fairfax was made public. And on Wednesday his accuser released a statement saying Fairfax forced her to have oral sex with him in 2004. Fairfax denied the allegation and said the encounter was consensual.
Also on Wednesday, Herring released a statement admitting that he dressed in blackface when he was 19.