Jason Miyares Archives - The Virginia Star

Virginia A.G. Jason Miyares Seeks Reelection, Leaving Governor Race to Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Rep. Abigail Spanberger

November 18, 2024November 18, 2024 Tom Pappert

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on Monday announced he will seek reelection, officially ending speculation he would launch a gubernatorial bid in an effort to maintain Republican control over the Executive Mansion, as Governor Glenn Youngkin is prevented from seeking a second consecutive term by the Virginia Constitution.

Miyares announced his reelection bid in a post to the social media platform X, where he wrote, “We are not going back to the failed policies of the past; our families’ safety and Virginia’s future depends on it.”

Virginia Political Candidates Look Ahead to 2025

November 13, 2024November 13, 2024 The Center Square

As President-elect Donald Trump is making cabinet picks and Congress orients its new members, Virginia is gearing up for its next elections.

One week after election day, campaign announcements for 2025 are popping up across the commonwealth. Virginia is one of just a handful of states that holds major elections in off years, so while special elections to replace state Sens. John McGuire, R-Goochland, and Suhas Subramanyam, D-Loudoun – both elected to Congress last week – are the most immediate, they’re just the beginning of the political contests Virginians will see in 2025.

Virginia A.G. Jason Miyares Still ‘Deeply Concerned’ by Biden-Harris Push for Noncitizen Voters After Supreme Court Victory

October 30, 2024October 30, 2024 Tom Pappert

While the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed the right of Virginia to remove noncitizens from its voter rolls, Attorney General Jason Miyares said on Wednesday he remains “deeply concerned and alarmed” by the legal action taken against Virginia by the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) prior to the high court’s intervention.

The Biden-Harris administration sued Virginia earlier in October, claiming they violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) by removing about 1,600 noncitzens from the commonwealth’s voter rolls within 90 days of an election.

Youngkin, Miyares Vow to Appeal for Virginia’s Right to Remove Illegal Voters ‘All the Way to the Supreme Court’

October 25, 2024October 25, 2024 Tom Pappert

Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares on Friday vowed to appeal after a federal judge ordered Virginia to restore about 1,500 noncitizens to the commonwealth’s voter rolls.

U.S. District Judge Patricia Trolliver Giles, an appointee of President Joe Biden, announced her decision after the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) sued to force Virginia to restore the noncitizen voters, alleging the commonwealth violated the National Voter Registration Act by removing them so close to an election.

Gov. Youngkin, A.G. Miyares Vow to Fight ‘Politically Motivated’ Biden-Harris DOJ Lawsuit over Removal of Non-Citizens from Voter Rolls

October 13, 2024 Tom Pappert

Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares have vowed Virginia will fight the lawsuit launched by the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) over the commonwealth’s recent effort to remove non-citizens from its voter rolls, with both noting it was filed less than one month before Election Day.

Virginia A.G. Jason Miyares Urges EPA to Block California Electric Truck Mandate, ‘Extreme Environmental Agenda’

September 20, 2024September 20, 2024 Tom Pappert

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to maintain its block on the California electric truck mandate created by Governor Gavin Newsom, declaring the state is “playing games with America’s livelihood.”

Miyares on Monday announced he joined a comment letter urging the EPA to maintain its federal block on California’s Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation, which mandates every major commercial trucking company either maintain an “zero-emission-vehicle” (ZEV) fleet or have a plan to retire traditional internal combustion engines in accordance with the regulation.

House Committee Calls on Five States to Probe ‘Potential Criminal Activity’ Involving ActBlue Donations

September 19, 2024 Daily Caller News Foundation

Republican Wisconsin Rep. Bryan Steil on Wednesday called on five states to launch probes into ActBlue, a well-known Democratic fundraising platform, over ‘potential criminal activity.’ Steil, chairman of the House Administration Committee, sent five letters addressed to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. The letters to the attorneys general requested that they probe into ActBlue donations in their respective states based on findings from a committee investigation alleging the organization illegally used people’s identities to channel funds to campaigns.

Virginia A.G. Miyares Blames Kamala Harris After Illegal Immigrant Arrested for Abducting Teenager, Impersonating Police: ‘It’s A Betrayal’

September 9, 2024September 9, 2024 Tom Pappert

Virginia A.G. Jason Miyares, Jesus Cabrera

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on Sunday responded to the recent arrest of an illegal immigrant who is charged with the abduction of a teenage girl and falsely claiming he was police officer by condemning Vice President Kamala Harris’ oversight of the southern border as “a betrayal” of the American people.

“This horrific crime is a direct result of Kamala Harris putting her political agenda above the safety of American citizens,” said Miyares in a post to the social media platform X. “It’s not just negligence; it’s a betrayal. Our communities’ safety should never be sacrificed for reckless, politically driven decisions.”

Virginia A.G. Miyares Promises No Campaign Talk Until After November Despite Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears Declaring Run for Governor

September 7, 2024September 6, 2024 Tom Pappert

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on Thursday said he would not say whether he intends to seek a higher office, or reelection, until after the November elections in a Thursday post to social media.

Miyares confirmed he will hold his silence just hours after Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears on Thursday declared her gubernatorial candidacy in a bid to succeed Governor Glenn Youngkin, who is precluded from seeking a second term by the Virginia Constitution.

Former Delegate Jay Jones Announces Bid for Virginia Attorney General as A.G. Miyares Appears to Eye Executive Mansion

September 3, 2024September 2, 2024 Tom Pappert

Former Virginia House Delegate Jay Jones reportedly filed paperwork to run for Attorney General of the commonwealth, ending his break from politics that began after Jones announced his resignation in 2021.

Jones filed paperwork to run for Virginia Attorney General on August 28, according to WRIC, which reported Monday a staff member for the Democrat replied that any official announcement would come after the November elections.

Miyares Joins 20 Other AGs in Support of Federal TikTok Ban

August 7, 2024August 6, 2024 The Center Square

Republican attorneys general from 21 states, led by the attorneys general of Montana and Virginia, submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia defending the federal law banning TikTok in the U.S.

President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law in April due to concerns that through Chinese-owned parent company Bytedance, the Chinese Communist Party might be able to gain access to users’ private data or influence American youth toward communism. The law threatens to prohibit the app in the U.S. if Bytedance does not sell its shares in the social media company by Jan. 19, 2025.

Virginia A.G. Jason Miyares Demands Answers from Democrat Fundraising Platform ActBlue over Fraud Allegations

August 3, 2024August 2, 2024 Tom Pappert

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on Friday sent a letter to ActBlue, the top fundraising platform for Democrats and liberal issues, demanding answers over the money laundering and fraud allegations levied by journalist James O’Keefe and his O’Keefe Media Group.

Miyares posted his letter to the social media platform X, confirming his office questioned ActBlue over allegations of “fraudulent, deceptive, and/or otherwise illegal acts,” including “hundreds of thousands of dollars of contributions through individual donors” in Virginia who purportedly donated “in volumes that are facially implausible and appear suspicious.”

Virginia A.G. Jason Miyares Teases Run for Governor at Trump Rally Where Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears was Not Invited

July 2, 2024 Tom Pappert

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares hinted he may announce his run for governor following the conclusion of the 2024 presidential election. Miyares made the remarks while attending former President Donald Trump’s rally in Chesapeake, Virginia on Friday.

Miyares made the comments after National Review asked the attorney general whether he was considering a run to succeed Governor Glenn Youngkin, who is unable to seek another term.

Governor Glenn Youngkin Says Virginia will Ignore California Emissions Rules

June 8, 2024June 7, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

On Wednesday, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.) announced that, as of the end of 2024, the commonwealth will no longer attempt to enforce the vehicle emissions rules demanded by the state of California.

As reported by ABC News, Youngkin’s announcement comes after Attorney General Jason Miyares (R-Va.) released his opinion on Tuesday declaring that Virginia is not legally required to follow the orders of the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The new CARB regulations are set to take effect on January 1st, 2025.

Virginia Republicans, Democrats Divided over Trump Verdict

June 1, 2024May 31, 2024 The Center Square

The jury announced its verdict in former President Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial Thursday evening, and social media was set ablaze.

Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records that could have been harmful to his 2016 presidential campaign.

Virginia AG ‘Demands’ Biden Address ‘Missing Migrant Children Crisis’

April 20, 2024April 19, 2024 The Center Square

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares wants the Biden administration to act on “the missing migrant children crisis,” claiming the administration ignores the problem.

In a letter addressed to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Miyares raised concerns over the “welfare and safety” of unaccompanied minors that he argues are not being “prioritized” by the Biden administration.

Pollsters Find Virginia Republicans Prefer Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears over Attorney General Jason Miayres for Governor

April 9, 2024April 8, 2024 Tom Pappert

Virginia A.G. Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears

A March poll of Virginia Republicans found Lt. Governor Winsome Sears is the current favorite candidate to succeed Governor Glenn Youngkin in 2025, with Attorney General Jason Miyares currently behind by more than 25 points.

The Cyngal pollsters claim Sears “holds an impressive 28-point advantages over Miyares on the governor’s ballot,” with 43.5 percent of support from Republicans. While Miyares had a distant 15.8 percent of support, a decisive 40.7 percent of those polled said they remain undecided.

Virginia Attorney General Warns Biden ‘Refusing to Fix’ Illegal Immigrant Crisis After Foreign Nationals Arrested for Child Sex Crimes

March 29, 2024 Tom Pappert

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on Wednesday blamed the Biden administration for “refusing to fix” the illegal immigration crisis after two illegal immigrants were arrested for sex crimes against children in the commonwealth.

The attorney general made remarks about the illegal immigration crisis following the arrest of Isauro Garcia Cruz and Renzo Mendoza Montes, who are both illegal immigrants accused of crimes against children.

Commentary: Virginia AG Miyares and Marine Sergeant Major Exchange Roles

November 25, 2023November 24, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

Virginia’s Attorney General Jason Miyares and Sergeant Major Carlos Ruiz, the newest Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps basically changed jobs during recent events in Virginia and on the battlefield in the Middle East.

Known for their fearless service in combat and garrison advising senior officers, political presentations are not part of a Sergeant Major’s job description.

Miyares’ PAC Targets 2024 Prosecutor Races Across the Country

November 15, 2023November 14, 2023 The Center Square

A PAC founded by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares supported some winning prosecutorial candidates in the most recent elections, and plans to keep building momentum throughout 2024.

The mission of the Protecting Americans Action Fund is to help conservative, “enforce-the-law” prosecutors defeat liberal, “social justice” prosecutors – often backed by billionaire and Democratic financier George Soros – in elections to state offices across the country.

Virginia Attorney General Opens Investigation into Radical American Muslims for Palestine Nonprofit

November 1, 2023October 31, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced on Tuesday that his office’s Consumer Protection Section has opened an investigation into the Hamas-linked American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) for potential violations of the state’s charitable solicitation laws.

“The Attorney General’s Office has reason to believe that the organization may be soliciting contributions in the Commonwealth without first having registered with the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture,” Miyares said in a statement. “In addition, the Attorney General will investigate allegations that the organization may have used funds raised for impermissible purposes under state law, including benefitting or providing support to terrorist organizations.”

Court Rules in Favor of Virginia AG Against Get-Out-the-Vote Group

October 29, 2023October 28, 2023 The Center Square

A Virginia court has ruled in favor of Attorney General Jason Miyares against Look Ahead America, who had filed a lawsuit and a motion for an injunction and temporary restraining order against Miyares, alleging interference with the group’s First Amendment rights.

The group, a get-out-the-vote organization, has been active in the weeks leading up to the General Assembly general election and received a cease-and-desist order from the attorney general’s office on Oct. 10 about some materials it had distributed as part of its efforts.

Miyares and Other Attorneys General Side with Parental Rights over School Board

October 21, 2023October 20, 2023 The Center Square

Leading a group of 23 attorneys general, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares filed an amicus brief on Wednesday on behalf of the plaintiffs in Mahmoud v. McKnight, a lawsuit involving Maryland parents and the Montgomery County School Board.

Along with over 30 other states, Maryland law includes an opt-out provision that allows parents to excuse their children from sex education courses or lectures. About half the states require parents to be notified when their children will receive sex education, including Maryland.

Virginia Sheriff Departments Asked to Contribute Excess Gear to Israel

October 20, 2023October 19, 2023 The Center Square

Attorney General Jason Miyares has enlisted the help of the commonwealth’s 123 sheriff’s departments by asking for expired or surplus gear that can be donated to the Israeli military.

“I am shocked and grieved by the senseless terrorist attacks on Israel by the Hamas terrorist organization. The loss of innocent life and disregard for human rights is painfully tragic to see,” Miyares wrote in the letter.

Miyares and 26 Other State AGs Request Federal Government End Catch-and-Release Policies

October 11, 2023October 10, 2023 The Center Square

Twenty-seven attorneys general, led by Florida’s Ashley Moody, are demanding Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas “fix the problem you created” and close the catch-and-release loophole DHS is “currently exploiting to implement its mass release policy at the Southwest Border.”

The coalition filed a Petition for Rulemaking demanding that Mayorkas amend DHS’s catch-and-release policies. In their 6-page letter, they point to how “DHS is releasing aliens at a rate of over one million per year, and that does not include the aliens being released on parole under § 1182(d)(5).”

Parents File Lawsuit After Virginia School Board Shoots Down State’s Model Transgender Policies

September 24, 2023September 23, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

Two parents filed a lawsuit against the Virginia Beach School Board this week for voting down proposed policies that pertain to keeping parents informed about their child’s identity.

The state’s Department of Education released the model policies in July and claimed that this step would “safeguard parent’s rights.” The school board opted out of adopting the policies in August, resulting in the parents, represented by the Cooper and Kirk law firm, suing to try and force the district to adopt them, according to court documents.

Virginia AG Issues Opinion Backing Model Policies

August 26, 2023August 25, 2023 The Center Square

Virginia’s Attorney General Jason Miyares issued an opinion this week, arguing that the governor’s model policies comply with federal and state nondiscrimination laws and that “local school boards are required to adopt policies that are consistent with them.”

The opinion comes at the request of Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has been advocating since the release of the latest version of the Virginia Department of Education’s “Model Policies on Ensuring Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools” for their adoption — to strong resistance from some districts in the commonwealth.

Major Drug Trafficker in Virginia Sentenced

August 13, 2023August 12, 2023 The Center Square

A man convicted of trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine from Mexico into Virginia was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison yesterday, Attorney General Jason Miyares announced today.

“Cantu-Cantu was the major source of supply for a drug conspiracy that distributed more than 33 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and six kilograms of cocaine into Southwest and Central Virginia through a multi-jurisdictional drug trafficking organization,” according to a press release from Miyares’ office.

Virginia AG Miyares and Other AGs ‘Demand Answers’ from BlackRock

July 15, 2023July 14, 2023 The Center Square

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is the latest to join a coalition of attorneys general “demanding answers” from global investment firm BlackRock Inc., questioning its ability to manage funds passively.

Since August 2022, three groups of attorneys general representing 24 states have banded together in actions challenging company practices at BlackRock – the largest asset manager in the world and the first to reach $10 trillion in assets – claiming that it has allowed political persuasions to interfere with the investment of its clients’ funds.

Virginia AG Leads Coalition on Recommendations for Artificial Intelligence Governance

June 17, 2023June 16, 2023 The Center Square

A bipartisan coalition of 23 attorneys general, co-led by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, submitted a letter advising the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on governance policies on artificial intelligence.

As part of creating policy recommendations on AI, the NTIA invited policymakers and subject matter experts for expertise and commentary.

Virginia to Receive over $2 Million in Suboxone Settlement

June 7, 2023June 6, 2023 The Center Square

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced a $102.5 million settlement with the makers of Suboxone for alleged illegal monopoly tactics, for which the commonwealth will receive more than $2.3 million.

The settlement stems from a complaint filed against Indivior Inc., the maker of Suboxone, alleging the pharmaceutical company used “illegal means” to switch the Suboxone market from tablets to film. The suit says the company attempted to destroy the market for tablets in an effort to preserve its drug monopoly.

Virginia and Other GOP States Sue Biden Admin over Recent Border Policy, Claim It’s ‘Encouraging More Border Crossings’

June 3, 2023June 2, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and more than a dozen other GOP-led states are suing the Biden administration over a recent policy to address an expected surge of illegal migrants at the southern border, according to a statement from his office.

The Biden administration rule Miyares is contesting was implemented to mitigate an expected surge of migrants at the southern border when Title 42, a Trump-era expulsion order, ended on May 11 which made migrants ineligible for asylum if they pass through another safe country before coming to the U.S. Miyares, however, argues that the rule has many exceptions that allow migrants to enter the country, including using a phone app to book entry appointments, claiming they face imminent danger in their home country and having their asylum request denied in another country, the lawsuit argues.

Miyares Urges Biden Administration to Uphold Title IX

May 18, 2023May 17, 2023 The Center Square

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has joined nearly two dozen state attorneys general imploring the Biden administration to protect female athletes by upholding Title IX.

The opposition from the coalition follows a proposal from the Department of Education to allow biological males to compete in female sports.

Miyares: Virginians to Receive More than $3.6 Million from Intuit Settlement

May 6, 2023May 5, 2023 The Center Square

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has announced Virginians affected by the alleged “tricks” from TurboTax owner Intuit will receive more than $3.6 million as part of a nationwide settlement.

Miyares says more than 119,000 Virginia consumers were “tricked into paying to file their federal tax return.” The commonwealth’s restitution is part of a nationwide settlement of $141 million to be distributed to millions of lower-income Americans.

Virginia Attorney General Gives Update on Operation Ceasefire

April 28, 2023April 27, 2023 The Center Square

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares held a press conference in Lynchburg to provide an update on Operation Ceasefire, which was initiated late last year in an effort to reduce gun violence and violent crime through a “multifaced approach.”

Joining Miyares at the press conference were several prosecutors and law enforcement officers to discuss their ongoing plan for tackling rising crime.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Administration Directs Top School to Break Ties with Chinese Communist Party

March 17, 2023March 16, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera directed a top public high school in the United States to stop accepting financial contributions from entities with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Grassroots parental advocacy organization Parents Defending Education (PDE) reported that, on March 9, Guidera wrote to Dr. Michelle Reid, superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), following PDE’s report that Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) and the school’s Partnership Fund (Fund) had “received over $1,000,000 worth of donations from Chinese interests since 2014.”

Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson High School Found Not Denoting Honors Class Designation on Student Transcripts

January 26, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Administrators at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology (TJ) in Fairfax County, Virginia, failed to make Honors classes notations on the official school transcripts of their students, Parents Defending Education (PDE) has discovered.

Youngkin Rips Fairfax County Schools for Failing to Notify Students of National Merit Recognition: ‘Maniacal Focus on Equal Outcomes for All Students at All Costs’

January 17, 2023January 16, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) said the failure of high schools in Fairfax County to notify students of their National Merit Scholarship program recognition is due to the district’s “maniacal focus on equal outcomes for all students at all costs.”

In an interview Friday with ABC 7News, Youngkin commented on the acknowledgement by seven high schools in Fairfax County that they did not inform students of their recognition in time for their college scholarship and admission deadlines.

Virginia Attorney General Announces Investigation into Public Schools

January 11, 2023January 10, 2023 Admin

On Monday, Jason Miyares, the Attorney General of Virginia, announced that his office would conduct an investigation into all public schools in Fairfax County, over allegations that schools throughout the area have withheld merit awards from winners in the name of “equity.”

As Fox News reports, Miyares had already begun a civil rights investigation on Wednesday into Thomas Jefferson High School after parents complained that the school’s withholding of such awards negatively impacted their students’ college applications, with the awards not being announced until after most application deadlines had passed.

Virginia’s Miyares Among the GOP Attorneys General Pressing NAAG to Return $280 Million

September 19, 2022September 18, 2022 RealClearWire

A dozen Republican state attorneys general are fed up with what they view as the leftward drift and self-dealing of their nonpartisan national association and are asking the organization to change its ways and return roughly $280 million in assets to the states.

The National Association of Attorneys General was created in 1907 as a bipartisan forum for all state and territory attorneys general. Over the last year, several of the group’s Republican members have asserted that NAAG has become a partisan litigation machine that improperly benefits from the many tort settlements it helps to engineer.

Ex-Virginia Election Official Charged with Corruption Related to 2020 Election

September 8, 2022September 8, 2022 Just the News

The former registrar in one of Virginia’s most important electoral counties has been indicted for corruption and false statements related to the 2020 election, Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Wednesday.

Ex-Prince William County voter registrar Michele White is charged with two felony counts alleging corrupt conduct as an election official and making a false statement, and one misdemeanor charge of willful neglect of duty by an elected official, Miyares said.

Virginia Senate Bill 1303 Complicates Roanoke County School Board Effort to Make Masks Optional After Youngkin Takes Office

January 7, 2022January 6, 2022 Eric Burk

The Roanoke County School Board voted Tuesday to make masks optional once Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin takes office. On Thursday, they reversed that decision, citing potential legal complications.

“Upon Governor-elect Youngkin’s administration’s canceling of the current VDH public health order, Roanoke County Public Schools will immediately become mask optional and return to pre-COVID medical policies, leaving medical decisions such as testing, quarantining, contact tracing between the doctor and their student patient or the student’s parents and guardians,” Board Member Cheryl Facciani said in her motion.

State Senator Hackworth Introduces Bill to Repeal Requirement that Virginia Schools Pass Transgender Policies

January 4, 2022January 3, 2022 Eric Burk

Senator Travis Hackworth (R-Tazewell) is seeking to repeal a requirement that Virginia school districts pass policies consistent with the Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students. Alongside policy debates about COVID-19, equity, and accelerated learning, the transgender policies were a major source of contention in 2021 as local school boards were forced to comply with state law — even when local officials didn’t agree with the policy.

“Senator Hackworth believes that education decisions are always best made when handled locally among those closest to the children and families served in those schools,” Hackworth Legislative Aide Tom Lester said in a statement to The Virginia Star.

State Senator Reeves Supporting Lawsuit over Decision to Melt Charlottesville Lee Statue

January 2, 2022January 1, 2022 Eric Burk

Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania) is supporting a lawsuit against the City of Charlottesville over the decision to give the Lee statue to a museum that plans to melt it. The lawsuit argues that the city didn’t have a competitive or transparent process to consider offers to take the statue, and additionally argues that melting the statue violates the spirit of state law governing monument removals. According to the lawsuit, the statue has already been delivered to a foundry and broken up, although not yet melted down.

“The City can legally remove, relocate, contextualize or cover the Lee monument, but the General Assembly denied the City authority to alter or destroy it,” the Trevillian Station Battlefield Foundation and the Ratcliffe Foundation state in the lawsuit.

Republicans Head to Mountain Resort to Celebrate Victories, Plan Governance: ‘No Battle Will Go Unfought by Virginia Republicans’

December 3, 2021December 3, 2021 Eric Burk

Elected officials, activists, and operatives from the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) are meeting in the mountains of Bath County to celebrate their major wins in the 2021 elections and to plan the rejuvenated party’s future.

“Every state party across the country has its signature event,” former RPV Chair John Whitbeck said. “Virginia GOP’s signature event has always been this weekend.”

Virginia Attorney General-Elect Commits to Investigating Sexual Assaults in Loudoun Schools

November 7, 2021November 6, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Virginia’s Republican Attorney General-elect Jason Miyares said during a press conference Thursday that he plans to investigate Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) and the recent sexual assaults that took place on its campuses.

“Do you plan to investigate Loudoun County Public Schools and the recent sexual assaults that have happened there?” a journalist asked during the press conference.

Former President Trump Calls In to Bannon-Headlined ‘Take Back Virginia’ Rally

October 14, 2021October 14, 2021 Eric Burk

Steve Bannon headlined a get-out-the-vote rally for the MAGA base in Henrico on Wednesday evening, where speakers included Senator Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) and Arizona State House Representative Mark Finchem, who is using 2020 election audits in that state in his campaign for Arizona Secretary of State. But the biggest reaction from the crowd came when former President Donald Trump called in for about five minutes.

“Glenn Youngkin is a great gentleman,” Trump said. “You have a chance to get one of the most successful businessmen in the country, and he did it in a quiet professional way, in Glenn Youngkin. I hope — he and others by the way — but I hope Glenn gets in there and he’ll straighten out Virginia, and he’ll lower taxes, all of the things that we want a governor to do, and I really believe that Virginia is very, very, winnable.”

Virginia Gubernatorial Update: Youngkin Spends on More Down-Ballot Races, Competing Ads on Crime, Two New Polls Released

August 21, 2021August 20, 2021 Eric Burk

Glenn Youngkin is touting third wave of funding from his down-ballot-focused Virginia Wins PAC, which has supported 73 candidates and disbursed almost $250,000, according to a Youngkin press release. The funding has gone to candidates for General Assembly, local boards of supervisors, city councils, and Commonwealth’s attorney.

“With Virginia Wins, we will bring an entire crop of leaders to take back our Commonwealth and support conservative solutions so that when I’m governor we can deliver strong results for the people of Virginia,” Youngkin said in the release. “Republicans in my beloved home state have been overwhelmed by outside money from George Soros and others backing left-liberal candidates. So now we’re fighting back and investing in building our team for the long haul. Together, we can elect a wave of Republicans, bring common-sense values back to our school boards and city councils, and begin the work of making Virginia the best place in America to live, work, and raise a family.”

Twitter Temporarily Locks Winsome Sears’ Account; More Gubernatorial Debates and Ads

July 27, 2021July 26, 2021 Eric Burk

Twitter locked the account for GOP nominee for lieutenant governor Winsome Sears over the weekend. Staff said they were unable to log in for a 72-hour period starting Friday, and visitors to her page received a warning message before being given a link to visit the page.

“We didn’t tweet anything controversial, we haven’t said or done anything, except go to bat for the people of Virginia,” Sears spokesperson Michael Allers told The Virginia Star. “I tried to log in, I was blocked. Another person tried to log in, they were blocked. And we lost access to the account for 72 hours.”

Roundup: Democratic Lieutenant Governor Candidates Debate, Gubernatorial Candidates Spent Nearly $5.6 Million on TV/Radio

May 28, 2021May 27, 2021 Eric Burk

The last day of voting in the Democratic primary is June 8, a week and a half away, but 53,562 people have already voted, exceeding total 2017 turnout of 35,390, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. As the final days of the campaigns approach, gubernatorial and attorney general candidates have had plenty of opportunities to define their public image. However, the six remaining candidates for the Democratic lieutenant governor nomination haven’t had as much time in the spotlight. On Tuesday, the candidates met for a debat