ICYMI: Miyares “Wasn’t Familiar” with Key Case in AG’s Office as Herring Touts Strong Record for Virginians

October 14, 2021

The Associated Press spotlighted Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring’s record of delivering for Virginians and Jason Miyares’ shocking lack of knowledge about the Office of the Attorney General. The AP’s recent profile of the race highlighted Herring’s time in office — “a progressive record that includes defending gay marriage, gun control and criminal justice reform.”

 

Herring has an unmatched record as Attorney General: 

 

“Herring said he’s proud of his record on crime, citing his efforts in human trafficking cases, prosecuting gun crimes and his work to clear a backlog of untested rape kits. ‘I’ll stack my public safety record up against anyone,’ Herring said. ‘But we also know that it’s important to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to make policing safer, and our criminal justice system fair. We can do both of those things.’”

 

Herring has taken on big fights for Virginia — even as his challenger Jason Miyares doesn’t know the major cases and responsibilities the Office of the Attorney General has. In a glaring mistake, the AP reports: 

 

“One high-profile case in which Herring’s office stepped up is the criminal prosecution of U.S. Park Police officers Lucas Vinyard and Alejandro Amaya, who fatally shot northern Virginia motorist Bijan Ghaisar in 2017. When federal authorities opted not to prosecute, local prosecutors brought involuntary manslaughter cases against the officers. The officers are claiming immunity from local prosecution in federal court, but Herring’s office is working with local prosecutors to keep the criminal case on track. Herring said it’s important to hold officers accountable when they act outside their authority. Miyares said he wasn’t familiar with the case and declined to say what he would do.”

 

On gun safety, “Herring said that Miyares talks about his biography so much because his stance on the issues would be wildly unpopular with Virginians, including votes on gun safety that earned him an A rating from the National Rifle Association and environmental votes that earned him a failing grade from the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club.”

 

Herring shared with the AP, “‘He knows his voting record, and his positions on the issues are way out of sync with where a majority of Virginians are. And so he has dodged and tried to shape shift because he knows if his real positions are known, he will lose the election and lose it badly.’”

Our democracy can't wait.

Help support our initiatives to elect more Democratic AGs.

Donate Now