Monique Miles, a top deputy to Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), resigned on Thursday after The Washington Post found Facebook posts she made on Jan. 6, 2021, referring to the Capitol rioters as "patriots" ready to "fight for our rights by any means necessary."
Miles was deputy attorney general for government operations and transactions, and had a "broad purview that included representing the state in election-related litigation and giving legal advice to the state Department of Elections and its governing body, the state Board of Elections, on various matters," the Post says.
The newspaper spoke with four people who interacted with Miles on Facebook, and they confirmed that screenshots of her posts were authentic. She wrote in support of former President Donald Trump and the "patriots" at the Capitol on Jan. 6, and later changed one of her posts to say the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol was actually "antifa dressed as patriots," adding that it was "typical antifa and BLM [Black Lives Matter] intimidation tactics."
Miles also made several baseless claims about the election, including that the military had classified evidence of election meddling and there was proof of widespread voter fraud in Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. The Post says she received pushback in the comments on posts, with her former high school government teacher once writing, "I failed you."
The Post shared the Facebook screenshots with Miyares' office, and spokeswoman Victoria LaCivita said he was unaware of Miles' posts. "The attorney general has been very clear — Joe Biden won the election and he has condemned the Jan. 6th attacks," LaCivita added.
In an email to the Post, Miles said her Facebook posts were "taken out of context" and she now believes President Biden "is our president as he was certified as such." She accused the Post of launching a "character assassination to stir up controversy," and declared that "some liberals have their daggers out for black conservative females." Read more at The Washington Post.