Democratic Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax has retained the law firm of Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz--the same firm that represented then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during his Senate confirmation hearings, the firm confirmed on Wednesday.
“I can confirm that I and my firm have been representing the Lieutenant Governor since January 2018,” said Rakesh Kilaru, a partner with Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz.
Fairfax first brought on the firm of Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz in January 2018 in connection with a possible Washington Post story about allegations brought by Vanessa Tyson, an associate politics professor at Scripps College. The Post investigated her claim but did report on it because they could not corroborate Tyson’s account.
The firm later represented Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings after Stanford professor Christine Blasey Ford accused him of sexual assault.
NPR reported on Tuesday that Tyson has hired the same firm that represented Blasey Ford during those proceedings.
Tyson said in a statement today--her first public comment on the case--that Fairfax forced her to have oral sex in a hotel room at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. She said the alleged assault caused her “grief, shame, and anger.”
Fairfax has strongly denied the accusation; he told reporters on Monday that the encounter was “100% consensual.”
A spokeswoman for Fairfax said he used private funds to pay for the attorney.
