Investigators could not determine if Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is in racist yearbook photo
Source: Washington Post
NORFOLK — A three-month investigation into a racist picture on Gov. Ralph Northam’s 1984 medical school yearbook page wrapped up with a central mystery unsolved, as investigators announced Wednesday that they have not determined if the governor is in the photo. The lingering question could cast a shadow over the Democrat, who defied widespread calls for his resignation when the photo surfaced in February. He has vowed to serve out the remaining two and a half years of his term, devoting himself to the cause of racial equity.
After interviewing former classmates, including several who worked on the yearbook staff, investigators said they could not conclusively determine whether Northam was in the photograph, which depicted one person in blackface and another in Ku Klux Klan garb at what appeared to be a costume party. “With respect to the photograph on Governor Northam’s personal page, we could not conclusively determine the identity of either individual depicted in the photograph,” said the report commissioned by Eastern Virginia Medical School. “The governor himself has made inconsistent public statements in this regard. No individual that we interviewed has told us from personal knowledge the governor is in the photograph, and no individual with knowledge has come forward to us to report that the governor is in the photograph.”
EVMS released the findings at a Wednesday morning news conference on its Norfolk campus with its president and provost, Richard V. Homan, and McGuireWoods partners Richard Cullen and George Martin. The probe was headed by Cullen, a senior partner a former Virginia attorney general and former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The 36-page report, with 16 pages of exhibits, included a footnote that said, “We acknowledge there is scant information on this subject thirty-five years after the fact. Memories fad over such a lengthy time period and we were unable to contact some individuals who may have relevant knowledge.”
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/investigators-could-not-determine-if-virginia-gov-ralph-northam-is-in-racist-yearbook-photo/2019/05/22/c53e7362-7bec-11e9-a5b3-34f3edf1351e_story.html
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