An investigation by a law firm into Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s racist yearbook photo, ordered by his former medical school, is due to finish this month, even as Democrats in the Virginia statehouse and Democratic Sen. Mark Warner eased off on their calls for his resignation.

In a statement to the Washington Examiner, former Virginia Attorney General Richard Cullen of the McGuireWoods law firm said the results of the investigation might be revealed within weeks: “Our goal is to complete our investigation by the end of April.” He added: “We are not discussing the current status of our inquiry."

The photo depicting two people, one dressed up in KKK robes and the other in blackface, appeared on Northam’s 1984 yearbook page at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Northam initially admitted he was in the photo and apologized, then backtracked saying he’d actually appeared in blackface a different time. Northam has never explained why he believed he was the person in the photograph.

Northam claimed he’d hire a private detective to investigate, but there has been no confirmation he did so. His alma mater teamed up with McGuireWoods to launch an investigation of its own.

The four-page agreement between EVMS and McGuireWoods was obtained by the Washington Examiner. It calls for “an Independent Investigation of the [sic] historic facts and practices related to yearbooks and more broadly the culture at EVMS.”

McGuireWoods is a prominent Big Law firm and Richard Cullen, a senior partner in the firm’s investigative department, is leading the investigation. Cullen is a seasoned investigator, assisting Congress with investigating Watergate and Iran-Contra, then serving as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in the 1990s before becoming attorney general of Virginia in 1997 and 1998.

Vincent Rhodes, chief communications officer at EVMS, told the Washington Examiner that the investigation involved reaching out to thousands of former medical school students: “EVMS pulled the mailing list. Approximately 6,000 emails were sent and 5,000 hard-copy letters mailed to alumni … regarding the investigation.”

To be successful, the law firm told EVMS they'd need to work together: “You must disclose fully and accurately all facts as you know them and keep us advised of all developments relating to this matter.” Rhodes affirmed the school “has committed to making the results of the investigation public.”

“We didn’t limit the scope of the investigation nor did we place an arbitrary deadline on the conclusion," Rhodes said. "We don’t want them to sacrifice thoroughness for expediency."

Northam’s problems began on Jan. 28, when Virginia Democratic Del. Kathy Tran said her bill loosening abortion restrictions in the third trimester would let a pregnancy be ended even at the time of birth. On Jan. 30, Gov. Ralph Northam went on a WTOP radio show and, when asked about the controversy, gave an answer that was seen by many Republicans as an endorsement of infanticide. The video went viral, and the racist yearbook photo emerged days later.

Northam initially apologized: “I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now. This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today.” But the next day he reversed course, saying: “I reflected with my family and classmates and came to the conclusion that I am not the person in the photo.” On Feb. 2, Northam admitted he had worn blackface, but at a different time, while dressing up as Michael Jackson in a dance contest in 1984.

Northam’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

