Lt. Gov. Fairfax denies Dr. Tyson's account of sexual assault

UPDATE (5:25 p.m.):

Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax has issued a new statement in response to Dr. Vanessa Tyson's

detailing her allegation that he forced her to perform oral sex in 2004 during the Democratic National Convention.

Fairfax earlier stated that his encounter with Tyson in 2004 was consensual, and he maintains that stance.

If Northam were to resign or be removed from office over

, Fairfax, who's serving his first term in elective office, would become the second African-American governor in Virginia history.

The next in succession after Fairfax would be Attorney General Mark Herring, who

to wearing blackface during a party at UVA in the 1980s.

Following Herring would be Republican Speaker of the House Kirk Cox, who attained his seat after a draw in a Virginia delegate race led to a name pulled out of a ceramic bowl, giving Republicans the majority in the House of Delegates.

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UPDATE (2:30 p.m.):

The woman whose sexual assault allegations against Virginia's lieutenant governor surfaced this week is speaking publicly about the encounter.

Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax has repeatedly denied her allegations, saying the encounter was consensual.

Vanessa Tyson issued a statement Wednesday saying Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex in 2004 during the Democratic National Convention in Boston. The Associated Press typically does not identify those who say they were sexually assaulted, but Tyson issued the statement in her name.

Earlier Wednesday, Fairfax issued a statement saying the woman expressed no discomfort at the time, or during the years afterward. He said he first heard about her accusation from a reporter in 2018.

Tyson said she went to Fairfax's hotel room so he could get documents. She said they began consensually kissing but he then forced her into oral sex. She said she couldn't move her head because he was holding down her neck.

Tyson has not responded to messages from The AP seeking comment.

You can read Tyson's full statement

.

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Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax says a woman

never told him she was uncomfortable with what happened during the encounter or in the years after.

Fairfax issued a statement Wednesday reiterating his stance that he had a consensual encounter with the woman 15 years ago. He said he was an unmarried law student at the time.

The Associated Press is not reporting the details of the Fairfax accusation because the AP has not been able to corroborate it. The woman making the accusation hasn't returned messages from the AP seeking comment.

However, the Washington Post reported that they did not report her allegation in the 2017 election because they were unable to corroborate either the woman or Fairfax's version of events because no one else was in the hotel room.

The woman, now a college professor, claims Fairfax sexually assaulted her after the two met during the 2004 National Democratic Convention.

Fairfax's legal team issued an earlier statement labeling it a "smear" and threatening legal action against the woman.

In response, a person close to her legal team who’s not authorized to speak publicly says she retained Washington law firm Katz Marshall & Banks and is consulting about next steps. The person insisted on anonymity.

A founding partner of that firm, Debra Katz, represented Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her decades ago when they were teenagers. He denied the allegation and was confirmed to the court this past year after hearty support by Republicans in Congress.

In Fairfax's most recent statement, he says the woman expressed no discomfort at the time, or during the years afterward. He said the first he heard about the accusation was when he was approached by a news outlet in 2018 after his inauguration.

"As a former prosecutor and someone who is close with a number of women who are survivors of sexual assault, I know that many survivors of sexual assault suffer in silence, and it is absolutely essential to their healing and our healing as a culture that we give all survivors the space and support to voice their stories," he said in the statement.

A report by NBC News alleged that Fairfax used profanity to insult the woman in a private meeting this week. Fairfax addressed that claim in the statement Wednesday.

"I would like to encourage the media, my supporters, and others to treat both the woman who made this allegation and my family with respect for how painful this situation can be for everyone involved. I wish her no harm or humiliation, nor do I seek to denigrate her or diminish her voice," Fairfax said.

If Northam were to resign or be removed from office over

, Fairfax, who's serving his first term in elective office, would become the second African-American governor in Virginia history.

The next in succession after Fairfax would be Attorney General Mark Herring, who

to wearing blackface during a party at UVA in the 1980s.

Following Herring would be Republican Speaker of the House Kirk Cox, who attained his seat after a draw in a Virginia delegate race led to a name pulled out of a film canister, giving Republicans the majority in the House of Delegates.

Below is Fairfax's full statement: