The woman who claims Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) sexually assaulted her has hired the same law firm that represented Dr. Christine Blasey Ford in her claims against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, NPR reported.



Washington, D.C.-based Katz, Marshall and Banks is representing Dr. Vanessa Tyson, who says Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex on him in his hotel room at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.

What are the details?

Fairfax is first in line to succeed embattled Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who is facing calls to resign after a racist photo from his 1984 medical school yearbook was exposed last week. Meanwhile, as Northam has so far refused to step aside, reporters discovered the accusation against Fairfax.

The lieutenant governor told reporters Monday that the timing of the accusation against him was not a coincidence, signaling that it was politically motivated — possibly even by Northam's team. However, Fairfax does admit to a sexual encounter with his accuser, but calls the allegations of sexual assault an "uncorroborated smear."

As part of his defense, Fairfax pointed out that the Washington Post has known about the allegation against him for more than a year, but decided not to report it. The paper then admitted to sitting on the story, which led to immediate comparisons over how the Post treated the lieutenant governor's accuser versus the platform they provided Ford against Kavanaugh — as neither woman's accounts of alleged assault could be corroborated.

Anything else?

Ford's testimony to Congress during hearings ahead of confirming nominee Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court prompted widespread calls from Democrats to "believe all victims" amid an ongoing #MeToo movement. Yet, Ford was unable to provide witnesses, a date, a location, or any corroborating evidence about her alleged encounter with Kavanaugh.

The Daily Caller pointed out "one difference between the accusation against Fairfax and Blasey Ford's claim against Kavanaugh: Both Fairfax and his accuser agree that a sexual encounter occurred, though contradicting each other on whether it was consensual."