Virginia political news: Rocky Mount officers attended insurrection and Herring lands big endorsements
Herring endorsed by senators and more vaccine news
The latest in Virginia’s statewide campaigns - Virginia Scope
Melvin Adams, the Chairman of the 5th Congressional District GOP Committee sent an email to Republicans describing the event through his eyes on January 6.
Delegate Hala Ayala (D-Fairfax) is calling on the Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia to resign
Delegate Lee Carter (Manassas) sent a letter to Attorney General Mark Herring asking him to make a formal opinion as to “the question of enforcing the U.S. Constitution in the case of state legislators who engage in insurrection against the United States of America.”
Rocky Mount police officer placed on leave for being at Capitol riot says he and fellow officer did nothing illegal - The Roanoke Times
by Luanne Rife , Mike Allen , Karen Dillon
ROCKY MOUNT — A photograph circulating on social media of two off-duty Rocky Mount police officers inside the U.S. Capitol during Wednesday’s riot sparked a Black Lives Matter protest Sunday outside the department’s building on North Main Street. In the image, Rocky Mount Police Sgt. T.J. Robertson and Officer Jacob Fracker stand before a statue of John Stark, a Revolutionary War officer from New Hampshire. Robertson appears to be pointing at Fracker, while Fracker, who took the selfie, is making an obscene gesture at the camera.
Majority of Virginia Senate Democrats Endorse AG Mark Herring for Reelection - Blue Virginia
Today, Mark Herring’s campaign for re-election announced he has earned endorsements from a majority of Virginia Senate Democrats, including Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, and Senate Finance Chair Janet Howell.
Virginia includes prisoners in next stage of vaccine rollout - Virginia Mercury
by Ned Oliver
Public health officials in Virginia plan to begin offering COVID-19 vaccinations to inmates in state prisons and local jails when they begin the next phase of their rollout plan, according to a schedule released this week. “I’m hoping it’s in days, not months,” said Secretary of Public Safety Brian Moran. “We’re anxious for these to begin.”
At VCU Health, stay-at-home employees have been vaccinated, but med students have not - Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Eric Kolenich
Virginia Commonwealth University Health has offered COVID-19 vaccines to all of its 13,000 employees, whether they work in the emergency room or their own living rooms. But the university’s medical students, some of whom work alongside doctors and nurses as part of treatment teams, are still waiting. The future doctors were unable to attend their in-person hospital rotations last week, which are key to their training. Because of the strain the latest wave of the coronavirus is putting on VCU, they will sit out the next two to three months of in-person instruction.
Virginia pushes back estimate for vaccinating all residents for COVID-19 - Virginia Mercury
by Kate Masters
Every Virginian vaccinated by early to mid-summer? Many experts say it’s no longer likely. Gov. Ralph Northam has also readjusted earlier — and more optimistic — estimates from late November, when he spoke to NPR about the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plans.
With slow start to vaccine rollout, health experts urge Virginians to keep up prevention measures - The Virginian-Pilot
by Elisha Sauers
Just over 11,000 Virginians have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus a month after the state received its initial shipments. In Virginia, where about 8.5 million people live, that number doesn’t come close to hitting 1% of the population.
Police Reassess Security for Inauguration and Demonstrations After Capitol Attack - New York Times
by Alan Feuer
In the wake of last week’s assault on the Capitol, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser of Washington called for officials to expedite security preparations for the inauguration. Federal and local authorities across the country pressed their hunt this weekend for the members of the angry mob that stormed the Capitol building last Wednesday, as Washington’s mayor issued an urgent appeal to start preparing immediately for more potential violence before, during and after the inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Pelosi: Democrats will move to impeach Trump - The Hill
by Scott Wong and Mike Lillis
House Democrats will stage a vote to impeach President Trump for encouraging mob violence at the Capitol on Wednesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Sunday night. Pelosi said the Democrats’ preferred response to the attack on the U.S. Capitol is for Vice President Pence to remove Trump by invoking the 25th Amendment — an unlikely scenario less than two weeks before Trump is set to leave office.
On Monday, Terry McAuliffe called on the Virginia General Assembly to pass a resolution this session for a constitutional amendment to automatically restore voting rights to Virginians convicted of felonies.
"There is no more fundamental right than the ability to participate in our democratic process, and restoring voting rights to 173,000 Virginians is one of the proudest accomplishments of my life," said Terry McAuliffe. "This racist Jim Crow-era law was designed specifically to disenfranchise Black Virginians, and Virginia must put a stop to it once and for all. I urge the legislature to take action this session. We must ensure Virginians are able to participate in our democracy in order to build a more equitable Commonwealth."
Governor Ralph Northam posted a message thanking McAuliffe for supporting this policy on Twitter. “This is a key part of our legislative agenda this year — thank you for your support. Let’s get this done.”