Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax surprised Virginia state lawmakers Sunday when he gave a surprise speech shortly before the state Senate adjourned its 2019 session in which he compared himself to Jim Crow-era lynching victims. Fairfax has pushed back against repeated calls to resign following allegations of sexual assault. And on Sunday he strongly criticized those who have called him to step down while he defended himself with a reference to Virginia’s history of slavery and lynchings of African-Americans.

“I’ve heard much about anti-lynching on the floor of this very Senate, where people were not given any due process whatsoever, and we rue that,” Fairfax said, in a reference to legislation in which the General Assembly expressed “profound regret” for lynchings in Virginia between 1877 and 1950. “And we talk about hundreds, at least 100 terror lynchings that have happened in the Commonwealth of Virginia under those very same auspices. And yet we stand here in a rush to judgment with nothing but accusations and no facts and we decide that we are willing to do the same thing.”

Fairfax also warned that “if we go backwards in a rush to judgment, and we allow for political lynchings without any due process, any facts, any evidence being heard, then I think we do a disservice to this very body in which we all serve,” he said. The use of the phrase “political lynchings” immediately brought to mind the way Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said he had suffered a “high-tech lynching” during his confirmation hearing.

“When he finished his five-minute impromptu speech, stunned senators sat in awkward silence,” reports the Associated Press. The surprising comments by Fairfax came shortly after Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment praised Fairfax for his professionalism during a difficult time. “I would have to say that everyone in this body understands the stress that you have been under throughout these weeks,” Norment said. “I just want to personally thank you for your professionalism and the manner in which you have presided over the Senate during these times that were stressful for you and your family.

Fairfax immediately came under fire from Republican House Majority Leader Del. Todd Gilbert. “That is the worst, most disgusting type of rhetoric he could have invoked,” Gilbert said. “It’s entirely appropriate for him to talk about due process and we would intend to offer him every ounce of it, and he’s welcome to take advantage of that anytime he would like.” But some black state lawmakers refused to criticize Fairfax with some saying that they’ve heard similar language from their constituents.

Two women have publicly accused Fairfax of sexual assault. Vanessa Tyson has claimed that Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex during the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Meredith Watson has accused Fairfax of raping her 19 years ago when they were both students at Duke University. Fairfax has vehemently denied the allegations.