The photo was given. Governor northam put out a paper statement apologizing for the photo saying the decision i made to appear as i did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now. Well, when it quickly became clear that wouldnt cut it, the governor put out a oneminute video apologizing, taking responsibility and pledging to work hard to regain the trust of virginians. But the calls for northam to step down continued to pace and from within the Democratic Party. Several democratic president ial candidates called on northam to resign and so did the naacp and the black caucus had a meeting with northam late friday night that did not go well because they left that meeting calling on him to step down. As friday night turned into saturday morning, the question seemed to become not if ralph northm would resign but when. When word came the governor was planning a press conference, everyone asuchlsumed it would bs resignation announcement but suddenly, it wasnt. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam stepped to the podium and said actually, the photo wasnt of him. That he had studied the photo and racked his brain and talked to his med School Friends and used some sort of facial Recognition Technology and it was not him and hence, he would not resign that prompted predictably baffled questions from the assembled press. If you knew it wasnt you, why not say that publicly . Allen, i didnt know at the time. There was so much happening, but like why didnt you know . You said you saw the picture and said that cant be me. Why not say that first . Well, because my word is important to me and my first intenti intention, allen, was to reach out and apologize. When this broke yesterday afternoon, there were just a lot of people calling and i just felt like i needed to talk to them and to put out a statement that this is unacceptable to have a picture such as that in the year back on my page and so thats why i started reaching out to people. You can do that without saying that is me in that picture, though. It has taken time for me to make sure that its not me, but im convinced, i am convinced that i am not in that picture. Northa ms first go at an apology wasnt terrible. He did acknowledge having done something harmful. He did seem to say the right things and suddenly, the next day he didnt. Its just weird. How could he not have known that a photo on his medical school year back page wasnt of him . Why would he admit to being in a photo in black face standing next to someone in a klan uniform or in a klan uniform standing next to someone in black face if neither photo was him . If he wasnt sure it was him or could be him, what does it say about the things Ralph Northam was up to in 1984 . If youre old enough to remember 19d 1984, think about this. He had something to say about what he was up to in 1984 and this is part you might have heard about. This is the part of saturday Night Press Conference that made you spit out your coffee if you were watching it live. To be clear, this that youre about to hear is not Ralph Northam responding to an allegation or being confronted with evidence of something he did, this is a story Ralph Northam brought up unprompted explaining why he would not be resigning. My belief that i did not wear that costume or attend that party stems in part from my clear memory of other mistakes i made in this same period of my life. That same year, i did participate in a dance contest in san antonio, in which i darkened my face as part of a Michael Jackson costume. I look back now and regret that i did not understand the harmful legacy of an action like that. I had the shoes. I had a glove. And i used just a little bit of shoe polish to put on my cheeks and the reason i used a very little bit is because i dont know if anybody has ever tried that but you cannot get shoe polish off but it was a dance contest. I had always liked Michael Jackson. I actually won the contest because i had learned how to do the moon walk. You said that the competition in san antonio was dance competition . Yes. You danced the moon walk . Thats right. Are you still able to moon walk . Inappropriate circumstances. My wife says inappropriate sis circumstances. I dont know there are ever appropriate circumstances for the governor to do the moon walk on national television, these are not them and any chance Ralph Northam would win back the support of democrats that abandoned him or those on the fence, that press conference was probably the end of it. On friday, this is before the press conference, virginias u. S. Senators tim kaine and mark warner, u. S. Senator mark warner had said only that northam should consider how to move forward and on saturday they called him after watching the press conference and said he should resign. Douglas wilder, the former African American glove nor over on saturday morning the choice of continuing an office was ralph northa ms to make. By saturday dinner time, he said its difficult for anyone that watched the press Conference Today to conclude that he has any other choice but to resign. The virginia legislative black caucus, which had already called for northam to resign on saturday turned it up to an 11 saying their confidence in northa ms ability to govern is eviscerated. He went and scored on own goal saturday instead of the apology, he wrecked his own story. I mean, here are the front pages from the richmond, virginia times dispatch from saturday, im sorry, from friday to saturday. Not a good look. And we were left with this. Is he lying . Is he a racist . He a racist . But in a certain way democrats in virginia and beyond may have more or less been feeling like they dont have to grapple with such questions because in purely political terms, the potential damage that a Ralph Northam implosion can cause is limited because the thinking is once Ralph Northam leaves office, however long that takes, his place would be taken by virginias Lieutenant Governor, a young accomplished African American democrat seen as a rising star in the party Justin Fairfax. Justin fairfax is the reason its been particularly easy for democrats to call for norta ms ouster which is why it has the potential to throw the states politics into further chaos. The same online right wing news site that published the page late last night published an allegation of Sexual Assault against Justin Fairfax dating to 2004. It was second hand and relatively nonspecific and might have remained an uncorroborated allegation floating around the right wing blog but Justin Fairfax then put out a statement saying that the Washington Post had looked into this allegation a year ago and had been unable to corroborate it, which prompted the Washington Post to publish its own story confirming that it had in fact looked into the allegation and quote, found no similar complaints of Sexual Misconduct against him without that or the about toy to coon rate the womans account in part because she had told no one what had happened, the post did not run a story. End quote. Today the Lieutenant Governor spoke to reporters for about ten minutes and said the encounter at the 2004 Democratic National convention was consensual and declined to call on Ralph Northam to resign and said hes in a unique position and wanted to remain circumspect. A political pact supports him and suggestions ralph northa ms team might be behind this allegation as a way for northam to sure up his position by making his presumed successor less appealing. Justin fairfax artfully dodged if this was true. It was said you believe the Governors Team is spreading misinformation about your team. Can you comment on that, please . Collective pac made its statements do you believe it . I dont know precisely where this is coming from. Weve heard Different Things but here is the thing, does anybody think its a coincidence on the eve of my being elevated, thats when this uncorroborated smear comes out . Does anybody believe thats a coincidence . As of tonight, Ralph Northam is still the governor of virginia. Every prominent democrat is on the record saying he should go. This has been a stand off for three days. What does it mean the guy everybody assumes will be the governor of virginia any minute is facing an allegation of a different kind and what happens if the guy who is still governor and Democratic Party is united in saying has to go wont go . All right. Joining us now is Virginia State delegate sharnel herring. Good to have you with us tonight. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Look, its been a crazy three days. What was your first reaction when you saw the photo in governor northa ms yearbook . I was horrified and painful to look at and shocked, absolutely shocked. You called for Governor Northam to resign. You called for him to resign after he said he was not in the photo. I assume nothing the governor said, the printed statement on friday night and video statement on friday night and the unusual press conference on saturday swayed you. Nothing swayed me. In fact, it makes me even more sure he needs to resign. People are waiting to move on, and each day that goes by is painful for virginians. Painful for the delegates of my caucus and legislature who are fighting for the values that we believe in, and he is serving as a distraction now. Delegate herring, were you there . No, but the governor gave me a call while he was on the road. What did he say . He was sorry. That was him in the picture. I said what are your next steps . He said ill issue a statement and go on the camera to apologize. Is there anything he could have said that would have called for you to not call for his resignation . No, because of the painful history of African Americans in this country and especially here in virginia, this is the 400th anniversary of the state legislature, 400 years ago slaves were brought to the shores of the commonwealth of virginia. Ive had a personal experience with a cross burning on my car with my family when i was a child. There is nothing he can say to me that would say it would be okay because that history run ss deep with so many African Americans. We lose the trust of the people when you have that past. Having grown up and understood its complex and in many cases racist history, is there anything that can cause you to say that maybe in 1984 it was different than it is today . Not a darn thing. That was in 84, i was in high school and in 1984 Douglas Wilder was running for the governor of the common wealth. Thats what i remember in 1984. Things werent different. That wasnt historical election. And race relaltions and my own personal experience, it wasnt a different time. Were not talking about the klan that happened after the civil war. Were talking about 1984, a modern term. If Governor Northam stepped down, the next would be Justin Fairfax. What do you make about this allegation thats been made against him today . Its too early. I know that there is an allegation out there. Were waiting for the facts to develop. Right now, as i know, all i know is the hearing now, we have a governor whose lost the trust of the people of virginia, and we are in the middle of our legislative session, and weve got important issues to address like sex trafficking, what to do with the budget, what are we going to do for virginia taxpayers. Thats one of my focuses. Virginia state delegate cahrnil herring, thanks for being with us. Thank you. Larry, good to see you. You didnt hold out hope the governor would make it and whether he was in the Yearbook Party in your evaluation of what he has to do next. No, i just dont see how he survives and some people in and around the capital who are have color toes, the governor except virginia, the debate now at least with people and talking about giving him some space and time to adjust. Were not talking months, were talking about a short period of time and at least put his stamp on the sllegislature because it in mid session and ends february 22nd of this month. No, i havent changed my mind and its not because ralph nort northam is a horrible person. Hes a good person. Hes been a good governor, but this is glohis predecessor, put it best. This is no longer about ralph. It isnt. It gone way beyond tim. Thats what is critical. So whether he decides he wants to take days or weeks to leave office, if the delegates or if the Democratic Party in virginia doesnt see eye to eye with him and sounds like they dont, what can they do . What they can do is to put pressure, i suppose, psychologically on him. Hes already had one college withdraw an acre cemented the invitation. William and mary . That is correct. There are a number of legislatures, ive been told who will not meet with him if he stays in office. Its difficult to be governor if legislatures wont talk to you. Its difficult to be governor if youre hunkered down in the govern Governors Mansion like lbj at the end of his term or nixon during watergate. Tough to govern. Ralph northam has the mind and takes awhile to adjust and hell do the right thing. A number of people have said tonight that with Justin Fairfax, Lieutenant Governor being second in line and the allegations made against him, a number of people said they dont want that influencing how they think about what has to happen to Ralph Northam. For democrats in virginia, it suddenly becomes important. On friday night the argument was Justin Fairfax is ready to go. This is a young accomplished man who is in a position to take on the role of the governorship if Ralph Northam has to leave. Do you believe now this allegation of Sexual Assault is going to damage that plan . No, i do not. It may damage to some degree his popularity. Well have to see how it plays out. The newspaper that is investigated it pretty thoroughly and many months ago said there is simply no way to corroborate the womens story or Justin Fairfax story. We have this principle that a person is innocent until found guilty, and i think that applies even to Lieutenant Governors. I dont think it will damage him, if and i know of nothing, and i dont think there is anything but if additional da damaging information or accusations came out, the flu in this theory this is cooked up by steve bannon and breitbart, although i can believe anything, the theory is they are the ones behind this. The problem with that theory is the person next, next in line behind fairfax to the governorship is democratic attorney general mark herring, no relationship to delegate harry. You still get a democratic governor. Mark herring was the person who Justin Fairfax lost to when he ran for attorney general and then he became Lieutenant Governor. Larry, always good to see you. Thank you for joining me. Thank you. The director of the University Center for politics. Much more to get to, the president s legal troubles are expanding. Federal prosecutors subpoenaed documents for the committee that put together trumps inauguration and one of the reporters that broke the story joins us next. Reporters that broke the story joins us next. Nyone wh uh uh im the one who delivers the news around here. Liberty mutual has Just Announced that they can customize your Car Insurance so that you only pay for what you need. This is phoebe buckley, on location. Uh. Thanks, phoebe. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. I can do more to lower my a1c. Because my body can still make its own insulin. And i take trulicity once a week to activate my body to release it, like its supposed to. Trulicity is not insulin. It starts acting in my body from the first dose and continues to work when i need it, 24 7. 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