Republicans say AG Herring only admitted to blackface to get ahead of story

'AG Mark Herring a racist and a hypocrite, he is a liar as well.'

RICHMOND, Va. – The Republican Party of Virginia has harsh words for Attorney General Mark Herring.

The party released a statement Monday, calling Herring a racist, a hypocrite and a liar.

Part of its claim against Herring is that he only admitted to wearing blackface at a 1980 college party after being contacted by a reporter about the incident.

Below is the full statement:

Not only is AG Mark Herring a racist and a hypocrite, he is a liar as well.

Herring would have the people of Virginia believe that he had some sort of epiphany about his racist past, leading him to confess that he too had worn blackface to the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus (VLBC). The Republican Party of Virginia has learned from credible sources that this is a lie. 

After Herring called for Governor Northam’s resignation, last Wednesday morning a reporter contacted the Attorney General about incidences of racism in his past (blackface). Only when Herring knew that his hypocrisy was to be exposed did he release his preemptive statement and confront the VLBC. His statement is a lie.

"The Republican Party of Virginia calls on AG Herring to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," said RPV Chairman Jack Wilson. "We also call on the New York Times to revise its story about Mark Herring and replace his self-serving spin with the truth. Anything less would be irresponsible fake news."