NORFOLK, Va. — One of the managers for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign lashed out at Democratic Virginia House Speaker Don Scott on social media, echoing an attack previously denounced by several state Republicans.
Chris LaCivita's attack was a response to an X (formerly known as Twitter) post from Scott questioning Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares' support for Trump.
"[W]hy does the top law enforcement officer in the Commonwealth stand proudly with a person who among many other convictions and alleged crimes caused the Capitol to be stormed which required Va. state police to go in harm's way to restore order in DC," Scott wrote on X.
The House speaker was referring to Trump's recent conviction on hush money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign.
"This is RICH! Coming from a guy who spent years in prison - for selling CRACK- (Hunter was a client i am sure)," LaCivita responded, referring to Scott's previous conviction on drug charges in the 1990s and President Biden's son's documented history of drug abuse.
Scott's journey to become Virginia's first African American Speaker of the House of Delegates is often described as one of redemption. He was arrested on federal drug charges in 1994 and served seven years in prison.
Scott has acknowledged his past mistakes and said his personal experiences motivated him and showed him injustices in the legal system. He would later go on to pass the Virginia Bar Exam in 2014 and after a few years of practicing law, ran for Virginia's 80th House District in 2019, which he would ultimately win.
When the Democrats regained control of the House after the 2023 elections, his party unanimously nominated him as Speaker of the House of Delegates.
Earlier this year, the official Virginia GOP account made a similar incendiary post that LaCivita wrote, saying, "is it any surprise that @DonScott757 spent 8 years in federal prison for peddling drugs to college kids, and now he's obsessed with legislation to cut breaks for drug dealers? Anything for your buddies, right?"
Republican Party of Virginia Chair Rich Anderson later said it was deleted and that he would make "personnel changes effective today."
In response to LaCivita's more recent personal attack, Scott replied on X Tuesday, saying "Trump’s campaign manager and the MAGA movement hates me because I am a symbol for everything that isn’t supposed to happen in their world. Thirty years ago I went to prison and now I am the first Black Speaker of the House in Virginia. Deal with it Chris."
