McAuliffe’s Vendetta Against Theo Stamos
I’m a candidate in the November election running against two Democratic County Board incumbents who are so entrenched they face no opposition in the Democratic primary on June 11.
Not so the Democratic incumbent in the Commonwealth Attorney’s race, Theo Stamos, who is fighting for her political life against a well funded opponent backed by former Governor Terry McAuliffe. McAuliffe, who only a year ago looked like a promising Democratic candidate for President, is now focused on ousting Stamos.
The cause of his vendetta? In 2016 Theo, along with several dozen other Commonwealth Attorneys of both parties, signed a friend of the court brief joining leaders of the Virginia General Assembly in opposing then Governor McAuliffe’s executive order that restored voting rights to 206,000 felons.
While Theo has always supported restoration of rights to those who have paid their debt to society, she opposed McAuliffe’s decree because of the reckless way in which it was done.
The Governor’s sweeping restoration of voting rights made it possible to restore the gun rights of many violent felons, some of whom were still on probation or parole, owed restitution to victims or were still in jail!
The Virginia Supreme Court agreed with Theo and state legislators that the Governor had overstepped his authority, and he took the appropriate steps to comply with the Court’s ruling.
More Parisa Distortions
In addition to her lies about Theo’s stance on voting rights, Theo’s opponent, Parisa Deghani-Tafti, claims that Stamos and Arlington police have selectively enforced the law, because most of those convicted of marijuana offenses are people of color.
Theo counters that many of those incarcerated in Arlington County actually reside elsewhere but are charged with crimes committed in Arlington.
She also says Parisa is picking a fight with the wrong person. If she doesn’t like the marijuana laws that are on the books, then lobby the legislature to change them. Ditto for cash bail laws that force those who can’t make bail to remain behind bars pending case resolution.
Arlington County police also believe that they have been unfairly targeted by Parisa. In a recent letter to ARLnow, the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) demanded an apology from Parisa for accusing an Arlington police officer of a brutal killing when in 2015 he shot a violent individual who had assaulted him with a metal bar. The officer in question required 60 stitches and was later exonerated.
Parisa didn’t back off an inch, and she issued no apology to ACPD.
If you are unhappy with the reckless tactics and hysterical attacks leveled against a dedicated career prosecutor with a proven track record for even handed law enforcement, then join me in supporting Theo Stamos for reelection.
Visit Theo’s website, make a donation, volunteer at the polls, and most importantly vote for Theo in the June 11 Democratic primary.