Virginia Attorney General Says He Also Dressed in Blackface

Herring released a statement saying he dressed like rapper Kurtis Blow, an acknowledgment that deepens the crisis in the state’s Democratic Party. The Democratic governor, Ralph Northam, admitted last week he once blackened his face as part of a Michael Jackson costume. Just two days afterward, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax faced claims of sexual assault, which he denied.

“Because of our ignorance and glib attitudes — and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others — we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup,” Herring said in a statement.

Alluding to the image from Northam’s medical school yearbook that has engulfed the governor in turmoil, Herring added: “That I have contributed to the pain Virginians have felt this week is the greatest shame I have ever felt.” He said he was “deeply, deeply sorry” but did not indicate if he would remain in office.

Northam has not been seen in public since Sunday, a day after he revealed he had once worn shoe polish to dress as Michael Jackson at a dance party but denied he was one of the men in blackface and Ku Klux Klan robes on his medical school yearbook. And Fairfax, after issuing a statement Monday denying the sexual assault claims, has suggested Northam and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney were behind the initial leak of the woman’s claims.

Every major state and national Democrat has called on Northam to resign, and Virginia Democrats are waiting for more details regarding the accusations against Fairfax.

If all three men were to resign without immediate replacements, Kirk Cox, the Republican House speaker, would become governor.

Herring first disclosed what he had done in a private meeting Wednesday morning with this state’s legislative black caucus.

Black legislators walked into the Capitol on Wednesday with downcast looks on their faces.

“I’m not going to talk about what happened at the meeting this morning,” said a clearly shaken Jay Jones, a delegate who was hustled away from a reporter by an aide.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.