RICHMOND, Va. – Suffolk County Massachusetts District Attorney Rachel Rollins sent a letter to the law firm representing one of Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax’s accusers indicating her office is willing to investigate, according to an office spokesman.
Dr. Vanessa Tyson alleges she was sexually assaulted by Fairfax in 2004 in Boston during the Democratic National Convention. Fairfax has denied the allegation and the allegation of another woman, who says she was raped by Fairfax in 2000 at Duke University.
Rollins’ letter offered support and information on services if Tyson wants to talk to law enforcement about the incident.
“These are unique circumstances. We wouldn’t normally discuss a matter like this publicly, but the decision was made to self-identify and I’d be remiss if I didn’t make my office and its resources available to her – and to other survivors who might be following the case and wrestling with whether to come forward to law enforcement,” Rollins said in a statement.
The Boston Globe first reported the information of Rollins’ letter.
In a statement provided to CNN, Fairfax’s spokesperson said Fairfax would “cooperate fully with an investigation,” but added “the Lt. Governor will explore all options with regard to filing his own criminal complaint in response to the filing of a false criminal complaint against him.”
The statute of limitations expires this summer, but so far Tyson has not indicated that she plans to pursue criminal prosecution. She and the other accuser, Meredith Watson, have said they would speak publicly at impeachment proceedings. Efforts to impeach Fairfax are on pause in the General Assembly.
On Tuesday night, Tyson spoke at a Me Too event. She didn’t directly talk about her past, but did make general comments about sexual assault. “There is a recurring theme of at least, when women come forward, of this deliberate attempt to undermine that person’s credibility,” she said.
To read more on the sexual assault allegations against Lt. Gov. Fairfax, click here.