Just when embattled Virginia Governor thought his infanticide and blackface scandals were fading from the limelight, a new report has been released putting him back in the headlines. The report released this morning by McGuireWoods LLP details their investigation into Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbooks and specifically the Governor Northam picture.
While they “could not conclusively determine the origin of the Photograph”, they were able to determine “no information that the Photograph was placed on Governor Northam’s personal page in error by any other means, not at his direction”.
Further reading into the report really sheds some light on the character of the Governor formally nicknamed “coonman“. The report reads, ‘Governor Northam explained to us that his staff drafted the statements issued Friday, February 1. Governor Northam, however, read and approved the publication of these statements before they were issued.’
He then apparently expressed regret at how the situation was handled by himself, “If I had it to do over again I’d do it differently.” He continues, “I always rely on my communications people. You see these statements… I don’t know why the statement went in the direction it did.”
His second thoughts apparently began during a conversation with the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, where Delegate Luke Torian asked Governor Northam “which one are you?” (referring to the individuals in the Photograph). Governor Northam told the investigators that he responded, “Luke, I can’t answer that, I have no memory of this.”
In the video below you can see oft left-leaning CNN commentator Don Lemon highly disappointed in Virginia Governor Northam back when this story first broke.
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There is a lot of conjecture and opinions about who could be in the photograph throughout the report, but some of the most compelling testimony comes from a fellow former student.
‘We also interviewed an alumnus who attended EVMS in the same timeframe as Governor Northam. This individual recalled talking to Governor Northam outside of the EVMS library in the weeks before the class of 1984 graduated. This alumnus told us he and Governor Northam flipped through the 1984 yearbook together and that included looking together at Governor Northam’s personal page. This individual did not recall the Governor having any reaction to the photographs on his personal page that would suggest the Governor thought there was an error on his page. He did remember discussing the photograph featuring the car on Governor Northam’s page.’
When asked about this encounter, the Governor again, had no recollection and implied that this person made the entire thing up. ‘During our follow-up interview, Governor Northam stated he would not have interacted with students in other classes, and did not recall this particular individual.’
Governor Northam stated that he did not recollect reviewing the yearbook with this former student before graduation.’ He has been known to have issues with recalling things in the past as well, highlighted by his first and second statements’ contradictory nature when the news was fresh. He initially admitted to being in the photo in one video, then recanted in the next. You can see the evidence of this in the two sequential videos below.
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