SCOOP: Judiciary Committee using Northern Virginia Democrats to criticize Spanberger

Rep. Ben Cline (R., Va.) scored a major legal win, following the Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling that the Democrats’ gerrymandering ballot initiative cannot proceed. And while Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D., Va.) sounds content with following that ruling, Cline and his colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee are using an upcoming hearing to hone in on the charging decisions of one of the highest profile prosecutors in the commonwealth.

The House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing titled “Fairfax County, Virginia: The Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary Policies,” where Stephen Descano, Fairfax County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney, will be a witness, alongside others like former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.

Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, led by Chair Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) and Rep. Tom McClintock (R., Calif.), are simultaneously requesting documents from other Northern Virginia officials, like Falls Church prosecutor Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Arlington County Police Chief Charles Penn, and Arlington County Sheriff Jose Quiroz “demanding information on the county’s refusal to cooperate with federal law enforcement to ensure that dangerous criminal aliens are not released onto northern Virginia streets,” the committee noted.

Those questions dovetail with the upcoming hearing featuring Descano, which will examine “how state and local policies that prioritize illegal aliens over U.S. citizens and prohibit cooperation with federal immigration authorities hurt public safety and have devastating consequences,” the Judiciary Committee noticed.

For congressmen like Cline, the moves inject new life into a revitalized Virginia GOP apparatus, which scored a major legal win following assistance from groups like the Republican National Committee (RNC) and National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). 

Cline criticized Spanberger, who expended immense amounts of political capital on an ultimately doomed referendum that would have likely drawn Cline out of office.

“By ending cooperation with ICE, Governor Spanberger is encouraging dangerous, criminal illegal aliens to operate in the state without consequences, threatening the safety and security of every Virginian,” Cline told the Washington Reporter. “My legislation, the 287(g) Cooperation Act, will restore law and order by re-establishing this immigration partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement. While the Left continues to prioritize illegal aliens over American families, my colleagues and I on the Judiciary Committee are holding Democrats accountable and protecting our communities.”