VPOD: Bell announces for AG; conducts first interview with BD

Del. Rob Bell announced his intentions to be Virginia’s next attorney general earlier today in Richmond and conducted his first interview following the announcement with Bearing Drift.

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Bell’s complete remarks from today’s announcement:

Thank you for coming. Today I announce my candidacy to be Virginia’s next Attorney General.

First, I am a Constitutional conservative. I believe in limited government and pushing back against federal overreach. When President Obama recently unveiled the EPA’s cap-and-trade proposal, 27 states filed suit to stop it, including our coal-producing neighbors, Kentucky and West Virginia. What was Attorney General Mark Herring’s response? Not only did he not join the suit, but he actually filed a brief in favor of the EPA’s plan. This was a crushing blow to the counties in Southwest Virginia which are struggling against job losses and high unemployment. They needed their Attorney General to fight for them. Mark Herring took the other side.

Just so we’re straight, I would have stood with my fellow Virginians.

This is a clear contrast between me and Mark Herring, and is consistent with differences we have had in the past. When we were both legislators, in 2012, I was co-author of the property rights Constitutional amendment. Like the rest of the Constitution, this amendment was intended to protect the rights of Virginians. Why was it so hard to pass? Why did it take four tries? Because of opposition from an alliance of lobbyists and legislators like Mark Herring. Again, I stood with my fellow Virginians, he took the other side. This time we had enough votes to overcome his opposition, we did get it to the voters, and they passed it with 74% of the vote. Those Constitutional protections exist today over the objection of Mark Herring.

Second, I would be proud to serve as Virginia’s top law enforcement officer. As most of you know, I got my start as a prosecutor in Orange County, Virginia. We handled all sorts of cases – we had domestic assaults and protective order violations. We had a high school stabbing after a special needs kid was relentlessly bullied in the school cafeteria. We had a sex crime where the victim was still in diapers.

These cases taught me how hard the legal system can be on victims, and as a Delegate I’ve written laws to hold offenders accountable for their actions and to protect crime victims. I’ve worked to expand protective orders, keep sex offenders out of schools, and for stronger sentences for anyone who rapes a child.

If elected Attorney General, I will continue this fight. Public safety is always an important issue, and just this year we’ve seen several instances where Virginia’s chief law enforcement officer could have been expected to take a stand. First, Governor McAuliffe proposed a commission to study reinstituting parole. Then the federal government began the early release of 692 Virginia felons, almost all whom were serving time for trafficking drugs like meth, heroin, and cocaine. Third, convicted double murderer Jens Soering is making his latest attempt to use his political connections to get out of Virginia prison early. On each of these important issues, I stood up for crime victims and for public safety. Mark Herring was conspicuously silent – he refused to challenge the actions of Terry McAuliffe, Eric Holder, or Tim Kaine.

Again, this is consistent with his actions as a legislator. In 2013, I had a bill to apply truth in sentencing to defendants with multiple convictions. Mark Herring voted against an amendment that would have applied this to protective order violations and to those who produce child pornography. (HB 669, 2013.) Fortunately, we had enough votes to overcome his opposition, and the bill is now law – meaning anyone who commits these offenses will serve his entire sentence. Elect me, and I can promise you that I will fight for crime victims, regardless of who is on the other side.

Last, if elected, I would be proud to serve as the lawyer for my client — the Commonwealth of Virginia. The issue is not whether I agree with a law, or like a law, or voted for a law. The issue is the rule of law — the idea that when a law is properly passed and signed by the Governor, it is the law of Virginia and Virginia’s lawyer should defend it in court. When he ran for Attorney General in 2013, Mark Herring said “I’m running for attorney general to take politics out of the office.” His record shows that he has done just the opposite. As a Washington Post columnist stated, Herring has emerged as “the new face of crusading liberalism.” He has repeatedly put partisan politics ahead of the job he was elected to perform.

If elected as Virginia’s Attorney General I will stand up for crime victims and protect our citizens. I will fight federal overreach. And I will uphold my oath to defend the rule of law. I ask the voters to give me that chance.
Thank you.