According to the Federal Election Commission as of August 27, 2020, Abigail Spanberger still has not returned a $250.00 contribution from Justin Fairfax, the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia accused of rape and sexual assault by multiple women:
• On October 31, 2018, Abigail Spanberger received a $250.00 contribution from Justin Fairfax.
(Center for Responsive Politics, “Donor Lookup: Justin Fairfax,” OpenSecrets.org, accessed 4/29/19)
(Federal Election Commission, “Abigail Spanberger: 2018: Total Raised: itemized individual contributions: Justin Fairfax,” accessed 8/27/20)
• During the 2017 – 2018 election cycle, Abigail Spanberger only refunded one political committee: Greenberg Traurig, P.A. PAC.
(Federal Election Commission, “Abigail Spanberger: 2018: Total Spent: Other Committee Refunds,” accessed 8/27/20)
• Spanberger did refund $83,502.96 worth of individual donations between June 20, 2017 and December 31, 2018, none of which went to Justin Fairfax. (Federal Election Commission, “Abigail Spanberger: 2018: Total Spent: Individual Refunds,” accessed 8/27/20)
(Federal Election Commission, “Abigail Spanberger: 2018: Total Spent: Individual Refunds,” accessed 8/27/20)
(Federal Election Commission, “Abigail Spanberger: 2018: Total Spent: Individual Refunds,” accessed 8/27/20)
(Federal Election Commission, “Abigail Spanberger: 2018: Total Spent: Individual Refunds,” accessed 8/27/20)
(Federal Election Commission, “Abigail Spanberger: 2018: Total Spent: Individual Refunds,” accessed 8/27/20)
• During the current 2019 – 2020 election cycle, Abigail Spanberger has refunded two political committees: Equality PAC and American Peanut Shellers Association Political Action Committee.
(Federal Election Commission, “Abigail Spanberger: Total Spent: Other committee refunds,” accessed 8/27/20)
• Spanberger has refunded $42,811.00 worth of individual donations during the 2019 – 2020 cycle, none of which were to Justin Fairfax. (Federal Election Commission, “Abigail Spanberger: 2020: Total Spent: Individual Refunds,” accessed 8/27/20)
(Federal Election Commission, “Abigail Spanberger: 2020: Total Spent: Individual Refunds,” accessed 8/27/20)
• In February 2019, Fairfax was accused by two women of rape and sexual assault in the early 2000s. “Fairfax has strongly denied accusations of sexual assault made earlier this year as Virginia was rocked by a trio of political scandals sparked by the discovery of a racist photo on the medical school yearbook page of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. Vanessa Tyson, who met Fairfax at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, says he assaulted her shortly after they met, while Meredith Watson, a former Duke University classmate, says that Fairfax raped her in 2000. Fairfax denies the accusations.” (Ed O’Keefe and Stephen Sanchez, “Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax Calls for Criminal Investigation into Sexual Assault Allegations Against Him,” CBS News, 6/13/19)
• In February 2019, Spanberger — along with several other Virginia lawmakers — called for Fairfax to resign. “Half a dozen Virginia lawmakers had called on Fairfax to resign by Friday afternoon, following Watson's allegation being made public. ‘All survivors of sexual violence and harassment deserve to be supported and heard, and our commitment to that principle is more important than any political consideration,’ Democratic Reps. Don Beyer, Abigail Spanberger, Elaine Luria, Jennifer Wexton and Gerry Connolly said in a statement calling for his ouster.” (Tal Axelrod, “Virginia Dems Call on Fairfax to Resign Following Sexual Assault Allegations,” The Hill, 2/8/19)
• In August 2019, Fairfax attacked Spanberger for not being willing to call President Trump racist, but supporting calls for his resignation, saying that her comments were “deeply ironic.” “Virginia's Democratic lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax went after Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D., Va.) on Thursday night for her reluctance to label President Donald Trump a racist, calling her comments ‘deeply ironic.’ Fairfax took to Twitter to respond to an article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Spanberger saying she cannot judge whether Trump is racist. ‘Deeply ironic regarding where we are 400 years since the first enslaved Africans landed in Virginia,’ Fairfax said. ‘CAN’T say there's enough evidence to call Trump racist,’ Fairfax continued. ‘CAN call for the resignation of the Black LG based on 2 press releases with no investigation, evidence, or #dueprocess.’ Fairfax was referring to Spanberger joining a chorus of Virginia Democrats demanding his resignation in the aftermath of accusations of sexual assault. Five of Virginia’s seven Democratic House members issued a joint statement condemning Fairfax in February.” (Collin Anderson, “Dem Civil War Continues in Virginia,” The Washington Free Beacon, 8/9/19)
Editor’s Note: In September, 2019, Fairfax filed a $400 million lawsuit against CBS, claiming that the company defamed him when it broadcast the interviews of the two women who accused him of sexual assault.
Editor’s Note: In June, 2019, Chap Petersen, a Virginian Democratic State Senator representing the Fairfax City area, stated he didn’t want a public hearing into the allegations leveled against Fairfax, saying, “we need to be about representing the people of Virginia, not trying to figure out what happened in some bar in 2004. That’s just my opinion.”