Second Va. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax accuser says she's ‘willing to testify in public' in op-ed

Meredith Watson, the second woman who came forward accusing Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax of rape, published an opinion piece in the Washington Post Monday stating she is ready to testify against him in public under oath.

In the op-ed, Watson says she came forward to report that Fairfax raped her when they were students at Duke University in 2000 in an effort "to support another victim of sexual assault and to remove that man from a position of national prominence."

Fairfax's first accuser, Vanessa C. Tyson, says the lieutenant governor sexually assaulted her in 2004 at the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

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Watson says that since she has come forward, "certain politicians" have offered their support if she made it a partisan issue and she has since refused. She says she has also refused to make her allegations a financial issue and will not be suing for compensation.

Watson also says she has received nearly 100 interview offers and she has "refused to make my rape a media opportunity" and that her "motivation was never for personal gain."

Watson says she has "endured relentless scrutiny of her personal life and an unending bitter flood of hurtful misinformation trumpeted by the media" in the two weeks since she has come forward.

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Watson goes on to say that she is still willing to testify publicly under oath against Fairfax, despite attempts to shame her for coming forward.

"I am not ashamed. It is Justin Fairfax who should be ashamed. It is the Virginia legislature that should be ashamed. And it is the media that should be ashamed," said Watson.

Fairfax has repeatedly called for an independent investigation into the sexual assault claims, but Watson says an investigation is not enough.

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The op-ed got a quick response from Kirk Cox, speaker of Virginia's House of Delegates, who tweeted: "Meredith Watson is courageous for speaking out. I'm still hopeful we can develop a bipartisan consensus on the best way to look into these serious allegations."

FOX 5 reached out to representatives for Watson and Fairfax for comment Monday night. They declined, but a spokesperson for Watson did add she looks forward to testifying in public.