Corruption & Secrecy | Virginia
Corruption Watch: Construction Magnate Funneled $10,000 to DeSteph after Lawmaker Attempted to Thwart Investigation Into It’s Malpractice
By Cole Driver on September 25, 2019.
According to a review by American Ledger, previously unreported campaign finance filings show that Virginia State Sen. Bill DeSteph received $10,000 in campaign contributions from construction magnate, JES Construction, after allegedly leading the charge to remove the regulatory authority disciplining the organization for inadequate business practices.
In January 2019, Virginia Mercury News reported that DeSteph sent more than a dozen emails to administrators at the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), demanding the organization drop their case against JES Construction for failing to obtain building permits and failing safety inspections. DeSteph even went as far as demanding that the DPOR direct all communications in regards to the investigation of JES Construction to his office.
Accountability | Virginia
Anti-LGBT Va. Lawmaker Bill DeSteph Attempts to Whitewash Anti-LGBT Record
By Cole Driver on August 28, 2019.
In an attempt to rebrand himself a champion of equality, Virginia State Sen. Bill DeSteph touted a singular endorsement of an openly gay Virginia Councilman in a Facebook post last week, despite his lengthy record of voting against LGBT equality in Virginia, including his ongoing support of harmful conversion therapy practices.
According to a review by American Ledger, in January 2019, DeSteph voted in favor of SB 1778, a bill that would allow for psychological conversion therapy to be practiced upon minors in Virginia. The American Psychological Association is opposed to conversion therapy, stating it poses significant risk of harm to LGBT individuals, including elevating the risk for potential suicide.
Accountability | Virginia
Bill DeSteph Held a Fundraiser at a Men’s-Only Club with a History of Anti-Semitism and Racism
By Cole Driver on July 19, 2019.
In June 2019, Bill DeSteph, a State Senator representing Virginia’s 8th district, held a fundraiser in a club which has a sordid history of denying admission to women, Jewish and black Americans.
The fundraiser, tabbed at $125 per person, was hosted at the historically all-male Commonwealth Club in Richmond, Virginia, which was originally founded by former Confederate military officers.