By Olivia Anderson | oanderson@alextimes.com
Alexandria resident Monique Miles is no longer deputy attorney general of government operations and transactions for Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, as of March 3.
According to a Washington Post article, Miles resigned after the publication uncovered Facebook posts she made supporting U.S. capitol rioters on Jan. 6, 2021 and claiming that President Donald Trump won the 2020 election.
But Miles claims that she was terminated, not that she resigned.
“This came as a total shock to me,” Miles told the Times in an interview. “ … I did not tell them I was resigning.”
According to Miles, she was called into a meeting where Chief Deputy Attorney General Chuck Slemp did not give her an alternative. She said she never submitted her resignation but that she was asked to surrender her badge and computer.
“[Slemp] said twice how heartbreaking this all was and how they were left with no other option but to ask for my resignation,” Miles said. “He said the January 6th issue was nuclear. He said he had a job to protect Jason [Miyares] and the office, and that they didn’t want the controversy. He said it was better for me and Jason and the office if we cut ties quickly.”
Miyares’ office did not respond to the Times’ request for comment but previously said in a statement that Miles surrendered her state government I.D. and equipment after having a conversation with Slemp.
“Nevertheless, the Office of Attorney General has parted ways with Ms. Miles for lack of transparency during her initial interviews for the position. We appreciate her service and wish her well in the future,” the statement reads.
The Facebook posts in question include praise for rioters, blames of violence on anti-fascist organization Antifa and claims that Trump won the election.
“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,” Miles wrote.
“These left wing violent loonies better realize that DJT is getting a second term,” Miles wrote, referring to Trump by his initials.
Of the posts in question, Miles said her comments were made as news was still unfolding.
“I hadn’t done anything wrong. The comments I made were as a private citizen, not as a public employee, as the 2020 election and Jan. 6 were developing,” Miles said.
Victoria LaCivita, a spokesperson for Miyares, said the office was unaware of Miles’ Facebook posts when she was hired, according to the Washington Post.
“The Attorney General has been very clear – Joe Biden won the election and he has condemned the January 6th attacks,” LaCivita said in a statement.
Prior to her stint with the attorney general’s office, the Alexandrian resident ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2015 and worked as a staff attorney for the Immigration Reform Law Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to securing borders. She was recognized by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce’s 40 Under 40 list in 2019 and founded Old Towne Associates, P.C., a law firm focused on employment law and civil litigation, in 2013.
Miles earned a bachelor’s degree in foreign affairs and philosophy from the University of Virginia and law degree from the Regent University School of Law.
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