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Deputy Virginia AG resigns amid scrutiny over Facebook posts praising Jan. 6 rioters
BY CAROLINE VAKIL - 02/10/22 02:07 PM EST
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/593738-deputy-virginia-ag-resigns-amid-scrutiny-over-facebook-posts-praising


A deputy attorney general overseeing election issues in Virginia has resigned amid questions over posts she shared on Facebook praising the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and claiming falsely that former President Trump won the 2020 election.

Monique Miles stepped down from her position serving under the state's new Republican attorney general, Jason Miyares, after The Washington Post contacted her office about the social media posts on Thursday. The Post was the first to report news of her resignation.

“This information was unknown to the Office of the Attorney General prior to this morning,” Victoria LaCivita, a spokesperson for Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares' (R) office, said in a statement. “Ms. Miles has resigned from her position at the Office of the Attorney General.”

"The Attorney General has been very clear - Joe Biden won the election and he has condemned the January 6th attack," she added.

The Post noted the Facebook posts originally came from one of three personal accounts that Miles has on the social media platform, and the outlet verified the posts' authenticity with four people who have engaged with Miles on Facebook.

In one post on Jann. 6, 2021, Miles wrote: "News flash: Patriots have stormed the Capitol. No surprise The deep state has awoken the sleeping giant. Patriots are not taking this lying down. We are awake, ready and will fight for our rights by any means necessary."

In another post on Nov. 16, 2020, she said Trump was going to get a second term, according to a screenshot of the post provided by the newspaper.

"These left wing violent loonies better realize that DJT is getting a second term," she reportedly said at the time, referring to "Donald J. Trump."

She also claimed in other posts that there was proof voter fraud had taken place in three battleground states, according to the Post.

The newspaper reported Miles' role included working on election-related issues. Her responsibilities included providing the Virginia Department of Elections with legal advice and representing Virginia in lawsuits related to elections.

In an email to the Post, Miles said the posts had been taken out of context and suggested the newspaper was unfairly going after Black conservative women.

“The posts were made at a time when the news was still developing re: the facts around the election, the court cases, the Rally on the Ellipse and what happened at the capitol,” Miles wrote to the newspaper. “That was before all the audits occurred. These posts have been taken out of context.”

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She told the Post that she believed Joe Biden is the president since he was certified and wrote that "What we know now about the election today is very different from what we knew on Election Day 2020 or even what we knew on the day that President Biden was inaugurated in January 2021."

The Hill has reached out to Miles for comment.

Updated at 3:03 p.m.